DOHA—Exportation of more products could enhance bilateral trade between the Philippines and Qatar.
During the two-day business-matching session in the capital city of Qatar in February, Ambassador of the Philippines Lillibeth Pono said 2021 annual bilateral trade between the two countries was around $224 million, of which $46 million were exports from the latter.
Pono said this gap in the balance of payment in favor of the Gulf State can be minimized, considering an International Trade Center report that cited the Philippines having the potential to increase its exports of food- and agro-based products to Qatar by over $19 million.
“These are not only trade of products in the [Qatari] market; it is promoting the great name of the Philippines in this region,” the envoy said.
She added that Philippine products meet global standards of quality. As such, these are marketable and can withstand the dynamics of ups-and-downs in the global trade and economic environment.
Philippine goods and personal health-care items are not just for Filipinos and Asians, explained Pono, but these also cater to the taste of all other cultures, as she noted the enormous opportunities that can enhance trade between the two countries.
According to her, Qatar ranks 41st among the trade partners of the Philippines. The Middle Eastern country is home to over 260,000 Filipinos and a large number of other Asian expatriates; thus, a substantial size of the Qatari population has similar tastes.
In the same event, Foreign Trade Service Corps Assistant Secretary Glenn Peñaranda thanked the ambassador for her presence and support to the visiting delegation and the Philippine products.
Peñaranda said his delegation was not visiting just to trade their products, but also pursue mutually beneficial business relationships.
He said the Philippines is blessed with fertile lands, rich and diversified marine resources, as well as highly skilled manpower, as the country aims to serve Qatar’s mainstream market.
The assistant secretary headed the 14-member Filipino exporters’ delegation to the business-matching event organized by the embassy of Philippines in Qatar, in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry. The delegation previously visited Bahrain and Kuwait.
