Turkey continues to witness growth in its furniture exports to Qatar, which stood at $85mn in 2019, according to Shedu Consulting & International Trade, which organised a four-day virtual event showcasing Turkey’s furniture and forestry sector.
“When we organised the first furniture delegation to Qatar in 2015, Turkey’s exports to Qatar was barely above $10mn. Today, Turkey’s furniture exports to Qatar have reached a record level of $85mn and continue to rise rapidly,” Shedu Consulting managing partner Deniz Kutlu told Gulf Times Monday.
The event, which kicked-off yesterday and runs until September 24, is hosted by main organiser Central Anatolian Furniture, Paper & Forestry Products Exporters’ Union led by its chairman A Tahsin Ata. Participating companies will be able to hold online B2B meetings with 16 leading Turkish producers, Kutlu said.
“We organised this first virtual trade delegation in furniture and forestry products industry to Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman…during the pandemic, Qatar has been one of the few countries that Turkey’s exports continued to rise. Due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19, Turkish companies had to adapt new marketing methods like virtual trade delegations and increased their digital marketing efforts,” Kutlu pointed out.
Newly-appointed commercial counsellor of Turkey’s embassy in Qatar, Yasemin Urkmez Aydin, delivered a speech during the online opening ceremony of the event, which is officially supported and sponsored by Turkish Ministry of Trade, Kutlu noted.
In her speech, Aydin focused on the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement signed between Turkey and Qatar in 2018, which is still in the ratification process. She said this will have a “positive impact” on Qatar-Turkey bilateral trade relations once the agreement enters into force.
As for the number of participants, Kutlu said Qatar topped the list with 40 companies, followed by Oman with 30 and Kuwait with10. He emphasised that these companies would benefit from the more than 200 online B2B meetings scheduled during the event.
“Qatari companies’ reaction to the virtual event was quite positive. Most of the company managers registered to the event mentioned about their willingness to increase their business volume with Turkish companies, which may imply an increased market share for Turkish companies in Qatar’s fast-growing furniture market,” Kutlu said.
Speaking to Gulf Times yesterday via Zoom, Yatas Group International Sales Area manager Sencer Ozbek stressed that Turkey ranks third in the list of top furniture and mattress exporters to the Qatari market, trailing behind Italy and China.
“This reflects the growing and strengthening trade relations between Qatar and Turkey not only in the furniture sector but also in many different fields, such as construction, services, textile, and food and beverage, among others,” Ozbek said.
Owing to Qatar and Turkey’s “robust political bond and relations,” Ozbek said this also plays a significant role in the investment appetite of Turkish companies in the Qatari market and the development of business ties of both countries.
He also noted that the massive and multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects undertaken by Qatar leading to its hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the construction works related to the Qatar National Vision 2030 have opened up a wide range of opportunities for Turkish companies in the Qatari market.
The event, which kicked-off yesterday and runs until September 24, is hosted by main organiser Central Anatolian Furniture, Paper & Forestry Products Exporters’ Union led by its chairman A Tahsin Ata. Participating companies will be able to hold online B2B meetings with 16 leading Turkish producers, Kutlu said.
“We organised this first virtual trade delegation in furniture and forestry products industry to Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman…during the pandemic, Qatar has been one of the few countries that Turkey’s exports continued to rise. Due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19, Turkish companies had to adapt new marketing methods like virtual trade delegations and increased their digital marketing efforts,” Kutlu pointed out.
Newly-appointed commercial counsellor of Turkey’s embassy in Qatar, Yasemin Urkmez Aydin, delivered a speech during the online opening ceremony of the event, which is officially supported and sponsored by Turkish Ministry of Trade, Kutlu noted.
In her speech, Aydin focused on the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement signed between Turkey and Qatar in 2018, which is still in the ratification process. She said this will have a “positive impact” on Qatar-Turkey bilateral trade relations once the agreement enters into force.
As for the number of participants, Kutlu said Qatar topped the list with 40 companies, followed by Oman with 30 and Kuwait with10. He emphasised that these companies would benefit from the more than 200 online B2B meetings scheduled during the event.
“Qatari companies’ reaction to the virtual event was quite positive. Most of the company managers registered to the event mentioned about their willingness to increase their business volume with Turkish companies, which may imply an increased market share for Turkish companies in Qatar’s fast-growing furniture market,” Kutlu said.
Speaking to Gulf Times yesterday via Zoom, Yatas Group International Sales Area manager Sencer Ozbek stressed that Turkey ranks third in the list of top furniture and mattress exporters to the Qatari market, trailing behind Italy and China.
“This reflects the growing and strengthening trade relations between Qatar and Turkey not only in the furniture sector but also in many different fields, such as construction, services, textile, and food and beverage, among others,” Ozbek said.
Owing to Qatar and Turkey’s “robust political bond and relations,” Ozbek said this also plays a significant role in the investment appetite of Turkish companies in the Qatari market and the development of business ties of both countries.
He also noted that the massive and multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects undertaken by Qatar leading to its hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the construction works related to the Qatar National Vision 2030 have opened up a wide range of opportunities for Turkish companies in the Qatari market.
