Doha, Qatar: The Food Security and Environment Committee of Qatar Chamber (QC) held a meeting yesterday chaired by Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Obaidli, QC Board Member and Chairman of the Committee.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Qatar Airways, and the General Authority of Customs, along with a number of business owners and representatives of food companies.
Discussions focused on the challenges facing the private sector during the current regional developments and reviewed key proposals and solutions aimed at facilitating trade movement and ensuring the flow of goods and products into the country.
The meeting’s agenda also included discussions on the measures taken by the public sector to address the current situation, their effectiveness and impact on the private sector, as well as mechanisms to tackle import-related challenges, rising prices, and increased shipping and operational costs.
For his part, Mohammed Al-Obaidli praised the public sector’s responsiveness in addressing private sector challenges, noting that the Chamber has received several concerns related to transportation, logistics, and storage. He reviewed several key topics, such as the emergency plan, joint data on strategic storage and shared procurement.
He underscored the Chamber’s commitment to presenting the views of the private sector to the Federation of GCC Chambers to address them with the relevant authorities, with the aim of expediting measures that facilitate trade movement to and from the country.
Yousef Al Hammadi, Director of the Land Customs Department at the General Authority of Customs, stated that the Authority is coordinating with GCC customs authorities to facilitate the smooth movement of commercial shipments through various ports and to meet local market demands efficiently amid current regional challenges.
For his part, Ali Al-Yafei from the Department of Specific Licensing and Market Control at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring the availability of goods in markets and facilitating their access through various outlets.
He also reviewed the mechanisms for registering goods by companies through the goods and services registration system for monitoring purposes.
He further explained that the Ministry has held several key meetings since the early stages of the crisis, including meetings with logistics companies across land, sea, and air transport, as well as with major suppliers of consumer goods and leading manufacturers.
