Qatar Chamber official calls on local private sector to join FIATA Qatar

The private sector will gain from supporting the development of the country’s freight forwarding industry by joining the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) in Qatar, an official has said.Speaking to Gulf Times in an interview, Qatar Chamber board member Ali bin Abdullatif al-Misnad, chairman of the FIATA Qatar, emphasised that a robust logistics sector is a sign of a "very healthy” economy."Freight forwarding, shipping and logistics, and transportation are among the most important cornerstones in any economy,” explained al-Misnad, who also called on private sector stakeholders in the country and Qatar’s international partners to join FIATA Qatar.According to al-Misnad, Qatar Chamber is committed to prioritising future supply chains, adding that through its activities, the chamber is promoting the development of this sector within the Qatari business community."Establishing a FIATA chapter through the support of Qatar Chamber and by transforming it as a gateway to the international arena is a very successful step towards enhancing this industry and the activities of the freight forwarding sector, which is very important,” al-Misnad stressed.He said: "Very soon, we will start the activities of FIATA Qatar, so I would like to invite all stakeholders in the local private sector, including Qatar’s international partners, to join us, so we can discuss the challenges of the freight forwarding sector and address the corresponding any issue.”Al-Misnad also emphasised the significance of the interdependent relationship of all FIATA chapters across the globe, particularly those in Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, in addressing the needs of the freight forwarding industry.Last month, al-Misnad participated in the ‘Global Freight Summit 2023’ held in Dubai under the theme ‘Making the Future Supply Chain a Reality’, wherein he underscored Qatar’s substantial investment in the transport sector, propelled the country "to the second-best position in the region for logistics efficiency.”Citing some of Hamad Port’s milestones, al-Misnad said the state-of-the-art port has established "15 direct shipping lines,” linking it to "40 ports” across three continents. He also noted that the port has an annual capacity of "7mn tonnes”, Hamad Port handles "1mn tonnes” of grain, and accommodates the shipment of "500,000” cars, as well as livestock.Aside from Hamad Port, al-Misnad pointed out that Qatar has successfully established itself as an aviation hub, citing the Hamad International Airport, which handles "more than 220,000 flights annually”, facilitating the transportation of over "35mn passengers” and "2mn tonnes” of cargo to "54 destinations worldwide”.