Turkish companies seek to expand footprint in Qatar’s household, food sectors

Turkish companies are looking to expand their footprint in Qatar beyond the construction sector, an official of the Turkish Businessmen Association–Qatar (TBA-Qatar) has said, citing “big opportunities” in the fields of household and food products.

TBA-Qatar president Ahmet Basar said Turkey is a major participant in Qatar’s construction sector, particularly in various infrastructure development projects.

“The capacity of Turkey and quantity of exportation to Qatar is not comparable. Between Qatar and Turkey, there is a big relationship in the construction sector. And Turkish companies are contributing to the development of roads and other infrastructure, but the trade volume between the two countries is very small.

“There is a big possibility to increase Qatar’s imports from Turkey in the fields of household and food products because Turkey is one of the biggest exporters of these items to many countries in Europe, so there are also big opportunities in Qatar as well,” Basar told Gulf Times.

Basar also said the ongoing Gulf crisis was an opportunity for Turkey to express its “100% support” for Qatar, citing “big opportunities” for Turkey to provide more products and goods to the Qatari market.

Yakup Deveci, the chairman of Kayseri Furniture Industrialists' Association (Kaymos), also expressed the same view, saying that “as a business and government policy,” Qatar is “a priority country” for Turkey.

“We are aware of the Gulf crisis and its obstacles, which is why we are here. We want to establish our presence in the Qatari market not only for our own businesses but as a show of support for Qatar’s business community,” Deveci said.

Deveci said the quality of Turkish furniture “is equal to that of Italy but more affordable in terms of pricing.” He noted that the visit of 11 Kaymos furniture manufacturers to Qatar was aimed at assessing the needs of the Qatari market.

“We can provide Qatar with high-quality furniture from Turkey but we also need to find out what the market needs, which is the reason why we are here. We are hoping that our market share in Qatar will be higher in the future once we fully understand the market,” he said.

Deveci also described Qatar as “a very promising market,” citing the construction boom brought by the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022. He said this will create a positive impact in other sectors in the country.

With some 3,600 furniture manufacturing companies in the Turkish province of Kaiser and a 100,000-strong furniture industry workforce, Deveci said Turkey can provide Qatar with furniture products for hotels, hospitals, office spaces, and even for sports stadiums.

“Kaiser Province produces 50% of Turkey’s entire furniture output and 2% of the global market,” Deveci stressed.