A trade and investment exhibition titled 'Made in Bangladesh' is going to be held in Doha, Qatar, in December to showcase only Bangladeshi products and services.
Bangladesh Forum Qatar (BFQ), a non-profit organisation registered with the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), and the Bangladesh embassy in Qatar will jointly organise the trade show.
The first ever single-country exhibition in the Middle East will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre on December 10-12.
BFQ leaders announced the event at a press conference held in the city on Tuesday.
It is high time that the Bangladeshi business communities tapped the vast opportunities in the Gulf region, said BFQ President Iftekhar Ahmad.
Such efforts would not only strengthen the Bangladesh-Qatar economic relations but also Qatar would become an economic partner of Bangladesh, he added.
Qatar is one of the world's richest countries in terms of per capita GDP and imported products and services worth about USD 27 billion in 2017.
But due to lack of proper initiative, Bangladeshi businesses could not tap the huge potential market for Bangladeshi products, said Mr Iftekhar.
Yusuf Saeed, vice president of BFQ and team leader of 'Made in Bangladesh' initiative, said the exhibition would offer an opportunity to Bangladeshi companies to showcase their products and services and to have business meetings with their Qatari counterparts to get into partnership contracts.
Israt Ara Younus, founder member of BFQ, said the leading companies from 18 dedicated sectors in Bangladesh such as agriculture, cement, ceramic, fashion outlets, fintech, fisheries & meet, food & beverage, furniture, leather, pharmaceutical, plastic, real estate, school, hospital, clinic, ship building, textile, toiletries, battery and wire & cable have been invited to join the exhibition.
Since some neighbouring countries hit Qatar with an economic blockade, the country has been sourcing products and services from different parts of the world, she said.
She also said there is a niche market for Bangladeshi products, as around 400,000 non-resident Bangladeshis are working in Qatar and contributing to its economy.
Jaafar Ali Al-Sarraf, a prominent Qatari businessman and BFQ member, said Qatar welcomes Bangladeshi businesses to explore its market.
The BFQ is a business forum formed by Bangladeshi professionals and business people of diversified background working in Qatar.
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