Hadi: Confident on business opportunities in Qatar. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed

By Peter Alagos
Business Reporter


The presence of 10 Qatari companies that have been invited to attend a trade expo in Indonesia is expected to help strengthen bilateral trade relationship between Qatar and Indonesia, Ambassador Deddy Saiful Hadi said.
In a recent conference in Doha, the ambassador said the Indonesian embassy has already sent invitations to Qatari businessmen and companies through the Qatar Chamber (QC) to attend “30th Trade Expo Indonesia” (TEI) slated on October 21 to 25 at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran.
The ambassador said TEI will showcase a range of export products like automotive components and parts, building materials, cosmetics, glassware, metal products, pharmaceuticals, sporting goods, stationary, textile-based products, and other innovative products.
The event will also feature new business-support facilities and services designed to serve buyers, business executives, and trade representatives in exploring business opportunities in Indonesia.
Asked what industries would interest Qatari businessmen during the expo, Hadi said: “Qatar’s construction sector is in full swing as major roads and infrastructure projects are ongoing in preparation for the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 hence, construction and building materials would greatly interest Qatari businessmen during the expo.”
Another area of interest, according to the ambassador, is food and beverages (F&B) and agricultural products such as cacao, coffee, fishery products, processed foods, and tea.
“Since food is a strategic product, another sector that would interest Qatar is agriculture considering that the country is strengthening its food security programme,” Hadi told Gulf Times.
Asked to estimate how much business from the Qatari delegation would be generated from the expo, Hadi said: “Seeing how our exports to Qatar increase by 10% annually, I am confident that the expo will be a significant tool in helping increase bilateral trade volume with Indonesia.”
The ambassador said bilateral trade volume between Qatar and Indonesia stood at $1.6bn in 2014.
He said Indonesia imports liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, and exports around $100mn worth of commodities here.
Aside from Qatar Chamber, Hadi also said the embassy has also invited HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani when Indonesian President Joko Widodo was in Qatar during the Indonesia-Qatar Business and Investment Forum last month.
During his visit, Widodo met with HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The two heads of state “reactivated” the $1bn Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF), which is expected to fuel growth in infrastructure and energy projects between Qatar and Indonesia.
Earlier, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi said the JIF was first established in 2008 but was “shelved for a number of factors.”
“Since trade volume between Indonesia and Qatar has not reached its full potential, the discussions revolved around economic relations.
The president and the Emir also discussed strategies on how to improve the trade and investment climate for both countries,” Marsudi said.