Several Mexican companies are gearing up to start their operations in Qatar aiming to tap the promising business and investment opportunities arising in the run-up-to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and Expo 2023 Doha Qatar, said a top official of a Doha-based Mexican consulting firm which has been promoting trade and investment between Qatar and the North American country.
These companies, which are planning to make Doha as their regional hub to expand operations in the Middle East, are from a wide range of sectors, including food and beverages (F&B), catering, agriculture and horticulture, animal feed suppliers, media, marketing and others.
“We have been working in close cooperation with the Mexican Embassy in Qatar and the Qatari Embassy in Mexico, and hosted several online workshops with the representatives of a number of Mexican companies who are looking forward to establish their businesses in Qatar,” Juan Cepeda (pictured), Partner of Bratus Consultores (consultants), told The Peninsula in an interview, yesterday.
Cepeda, former Director of the ProMexico (Middle East), the trade and investment promotion arm of the Ministry of Economy (Mexico), added: “Mexican companies are aware that Qatar is a robust economy with strong fundamentals. It is among the few countries which have handled the COVID-19 crisis very successfully, and implementing its long-term development strategies on the ground. In addition, the upcoming mega events such as the FIFA World Cup and the International Horticultural Expo 2023 have made Doha as one of the favourite destinations for Mexican investors and companies which are willing to expand their operations in the Middle East.”
He also noted that Qatar’s well-developed healthcare system and the support to strategic sectors will help the country to bounce back much faster than any other economies.
Commenting on the Qatar-Mexico trade relations, he said that two-way trade exchange in 2019 reached at $250m (QR910m), witnessing 33 percent (year-on-year) growth, which is expected to continue during the post-pandemic years.
Qatar’s imports from Mexico stood at $197.48m, while its exports to the North American nation reached $53.27m. Figures for the 2020 are not available but it is likely not be the same owing to the pandemic. However, in the coming years economic cooperation between the two countries is expected to get strengthen and deepen as both sides are working closely.
Cepeda reiterated that a lot of Mexican companies, particularly those with expertise in organizing big football events, understand that the 2022 World Cup is going to be a “game-changer” and will transform Qatar as one of the most vibrant economies in the region.
