Trade volume between Italy and Qatar increased about 38 percent during first half of this year compared to same period last year.
“The import of food items from Italy to Qatar also witnessed steady growth which will be boosted further by a Lulu business facility, slated to open in Milan, Italy, next month,” Ambassador of Italy to Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas told The Peninsula.
He said strong relationship between Italian Trade Commission and Lulu Hypermarket contributed greatly in increasing import of food items from Italy to Qatar.
“The Commission facilitated in signing of an agreement between Lulu and Italian farmers’ association ‘Coldiretti’ which enabled Lulu to directly access high quality agricultural products at cheaper prices,” said the Ambassador.
The Italian ambassador said this partnership has grown and Lulu has established a business facility in Milan, which is going to open next month.
“The idea behind the facility is to enable Lulu’s foodstuff buying operations. This will also allow Lulu to dig deep in the market to find best quality meat and other products to enhance the import.” He said the partnership of
Lulu with farmers’ association ‘Coldiretti’ helped Lulu in finding very high quality products from Italian farmers without too many intermediaries.
He said the Lulu facility in Milan will bring very positive impact on import of food products from Italy to Qatar. The ambassador said the new facility will enable Lulu to bring almost all Italian food products which are in demand in Qatar.
Italian Trade Commissioner to Qatar Giosafat Rigano
Italian Trade Commissioner to Qatar, Giosafat Rigano, said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall trade between Italy and Qatar reached ¤1.2bn during first half of this year, an increase of 37.5 percent compared to the corresponding period last year.
He said the import of machinery from Italy to Qatar increased 45 percent, furniture 42 percent, and fashion brands 41 percent. “From the aspect of agri-food, the growth of Italian exports to Qatar recorded 3 percent (increase) accounting to ¤30m,” said Rigano.
He said Lulu Hypermarket ordered Italian food products worth ¤12m in a year, thanks to the Coldiretti agreement. “We are going ahead to include all Italian products in import list which focused mostly on Coldiretti products.”
Director of Lulu Group International Dr. Mohamed Althaf
He said the Lulu facility in Milan will serve as a turning point in enhancing bilateral trade relations. Director of Lulu Group International Dr. Mohamed Althaf said Lulu business facility in Milan was almost ready and has become partially functional. “The facility is expected to start full operations next month.”
Dr. Althaf said the facility will serve as smart manufacturing and export processing unit. “It will help in fulfilling import requirements of Qatar such as Halal certification, stringent quality standards, foreign testing, translation of labels, repackaging and a lot of other value additions.”