Embassy eyes Qatar firms for Philippine trade expo

The Philippine embassy in Qatar has invited Qatari companies and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in an upcoming international trade expo to be held in the Philippines, an official said.
Deputy head of mission Gonaranao B Musor said the embassy has sent an invitation to the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa), and to officials of Qatar Chamber (QC) and Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) to attend “Manila FAME” slated on October 20-22 at the World Trade Centre-Metro Manila (WTCMM).
Musor said the invitation to “Manila FAME” forms part of the embassy’s thrust to strengthen bilateral relations between Qatar and the Philippines.
“Manila FAME” is spearheaded by the Centre for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“Considered as the country’s premier design and lifestyle event, ‘Manila FAME’ is a bi-annual showcase of craftsmanship, design innovation, and artisanship in Philippine products. It features finely selected furniture and home furnishings, holiday gifts and décor, and fashion accessories designed and crafted in the Philippines for the global market,” CITEM said in a statement.
“The invitation is open to anybody in Qatar; if there are interested parties in Qatar, they can coordinate with the Embassy or through the official websites of ‘Manila FAME’ and iFEX,” Musor told Gulf Times yesterday.
At the same time, CITEM is also eyeing interested trade buyers for the biennial “Asia’s Ethnic Food and Ingredients Show” during the International Food Exhibition (iFEX) Philippines on May 19-21, 2017 also at the WTCMM. According to CITEM, the iFEX aims to present “a remarkable collection of ethnic food and ingredients that samples the most authentic taste of Asia amid the mainstream presence of international flavours.”
“I don’t know if Qatar considers the Philippines as a potential market for Qatar-made products, but the Philippines is interested to bring more of its products and services to Qatar.
“Hopefully, with ‘Manila FAME’ and ‘iFEX’, it will lead the way for more Philippine-made products, such as furniture and home furnishings, holiday gifts and décor, fashion accessories, and food products and ingredients to penetrate the Qatari market,” Musor said.
At the launching of the “Made in Qatar” last year, QC chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani told Gulf Times that the chamber “is keen” on staging an international launch of the exhibition.
But Sheikh Khalifa was also quick to clarify that the chamber will start “in the Gulf region first before targeting other countries.”
QC deputy general manager Saleh Hamad al-Sharqi added that an international launch for “Made in Qatar” would be “a good opportunity to encourage local companies to improve and develop their products to make Qatari products more competitive in the global market.”