Qatari Agri-food Imports

August 2, 2023
 Table of Contents
QATAR.......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Overview ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Key Demographics and Economic Indicators .......................................................................................................... 4
Top Imports from All Over the World ........................................................................................................................ 4
Supply Chain Dynamics ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Canada-Qatar Trade Relations ................................................................................................................................... 6
Market Access Regulations........................................................................................................................................ 7
Prospects and opportunities ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Key contact organizations.......................................................................................................................................... 9
References ................................................................................................................................................................ 10

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 QATAR
Overview
Qatar’s population has more than quadrupled since 2000 and its local demand for agri-food products continues to grow. Although Qatar
has made large capital investments to increase their domestic production of agri-food products, they rely on imports to address their
increasing consumption needs. Some of the products Qatar imports include cereals, dairy, meat, fruits, and vegetables.

While Qatar’s agri-food suppliers are quite diverse, they have shared their interest in diversifying their source of imports even further.
Canada ranks 38th as a Qatar supplier and exported a total value of $128 million for the 2018 to 2022 period. Manitoba exported a total
of $3.8 million of agri-food products in the same period, with wheat accounting for 90 per cent of the total exports.

Key Demographics and Economic Indicators1

Country name: State of Qatar
Head of State: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Head of Government: Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani
Government Type: Unitary authoritarian parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
Capital: Doha
Legislature: Consultative Assembly
Location: Qatar is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in
the Middle East and shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian
Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain.
Population: 2,795,484 (2020 estimate)
Economic indicators: Qatar has the world's 55th largest economy by nominal GDP ($221 billion).
GDP growth: 1.6 per cent (2021)2
GDP per capita: $82,877 (2022 estimate)
GDP per capita rank: 5th (nominal, 2022 estimate)
Inflation: 4.96 per cent (2022)3

Top Imports from All Over the World

Qatar agri-food imports have grown at 4.21 per cent (CAGR4) in recent years, reaching $5.3 billion in 2022. Rice is Qatar’s top agri-food
import, valued at $188 million in 2022. As shown in Table 1, other important agri-food imports include lamb, live sheep, frozen chicken
fowls, frozen chicken cuts, food preparations, live horses, bread and pastry, frozen boneless beef, chocolate and other preparations,
bran, wheat, milk and cream powder and fresh or chilled boneless beef. Most of these imports are used in traditional meals in Qatar,
which are similar to those in other Middle Eastern countries. Beef, chicken and vegetables are part of traditionally popular stews, such
as “machboos” and “saloona,” often served at family gatherings.

Notable in Table 1 is the growth of frozen boneless beef imports at 25.8 per cent CAGR from $44 million in 2018 to $110.5 million in
2022, which corresponds to an increase in volume of almost 9,000 tonnes for the period. Wheat has more than doubled in the same
period, reaching $92 million in 2022. Bread and baked imports grew at 13.4 per cent CAGR. Baked goods are viewed as tasty and
convenient and are particularly popular with children and adults for breakfast. They are also eaten as snacks, so demand is strong all
year round. All income groups buy baked goods as these products are affordable and widely available. Frozen chicken cuts, and milk
and cream powder imports increased at 13.4 and 11.8 per cent CAGR, respectively.

1 Wikipedia.org
2 GDP growth -Qatar | Data (worldbank.org)
3 Qatar- Inflation rate 2028 | Statista
4
Compound Annual Growth Rate
4
Table 1 – Top Qatari agri-food imports

Total
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 CAGR
Description 2018-2022
$ $ $ $ $ %
$

Total 22,133,267,286 4,474,472,461 4,308,838,163 4,223,512,549 3,850,094,534 5,276,349,579 4.21

Semi-milled or wholly milled rice 989,367,001 201,894,005 215,566,981 228,614,635 154,444,476 188,846,904 -1.66
Fresh or chilled lamb carcasses 861,933,756 249,257,456 224,716,274 203,774,234 60,456,884 123,728,908 -16.06
Live sheep 844,195,683 183,422,790 159,338,770 176,104,899 145,291,579 180,037,645 -0.46
Frozen chicken fowls 742,281,384 133,781,823 139,729,203 139,905,433 107,419,607 221,445,318 13.43
Frozen chicken cuts and edible offal of fowls 631,290,206 106,896,414 128,821,418 108,006,288 110,537,972 177,028,114 13.44
Food preparations 458,990,081 69,779,537 75,545,896 84,838,115 103,472,700 125,353,833 15.77
Live horses 411,108,868 94,235,767 19,071,885 17,397,278 147,103,751 133,300,187 9.06
Bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits 409,688,450 67,507,683 72,161,817 81,032,115 76,673,614 112,313,221 13.57
Frozen boneless beef 336,563,977 44,119,525 53,122,653 60,671,923 68,123,171 110,526,705 25.81
Chocolate and other preparations 320,378,189 73,456,185 54,730,367 64,850,610 46,622,339 80,718,688 2.39
Bran, sharps and other residues of wheat 310,190,081 115,829,733 44,241,560 47,187,242 36,139,786 66,791,760 -12.86
Wheat 306,429,728 39,200,791 42,798,996 63,811,019 67,724,655 92,894,267 24.07
Milk and cream powder unsweetened > 1.5% fat 303,025,570 54,072,662 61,522,041 60,132,243 42,846,857 84,451,767 11.79
Fresh or chilled boneless beef 297,697,078 45,570,373 49,731,399 58,423,907 60,557,651 83,413,748 16.32
Source: Global Trade tracker – June 2023

Table 2 shows Qatar’s list of diverse agri-food suppliers. India leads this list, accounting for 11.4 per cent in value of all Qatar agri-food
imports in 2022. Completing the top 10 suppliers list are Australia, Turkey, United States (U.S.), Brazil, the Netherlands, Oman, Iran,
France and the United Kingdom (U.K.). In recent years, Qatar has expanded its trade relationship with other countries including Brazil,
Kuwait, and some countries in Southeast Asia. Brazil has significantly increased its exports of poultry products to Qatar with a CAGR of
18.8 per cent in all agri-food products for the period 2018 to 2022, becoming Qatar’s third largest supplier in 2022, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2 – Top 10 suppliers of agricultural and agri-food products to Qatar

Total
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 CAGR
Countries 2018-2022 %
$ $ $ $ $ %
$

World 22,133,267,295 100.00 4,474,472,455 4,308,838,169 4,223,512,562 3,850,094,534 5,276,349,575 4.21

India 2,562,334,529 11.58 518,272,444 488,039,841 515,672,716 440,221,529 600,127,999 3.73
Australia 1,736,086,112 7.84 418,546,699 429,288,148 382,844,304 221,781,460 283,625,501 -9.27
Türkiye 1,362,377,997 6.16 241,011,614 262,074,384 236,324,918 223,372,150 399,594,931 13.47
U.S. 1,332,876,390 6.02 244,665,278 248,557,107 273,565,204 226,380,453 339,708,348 8.55
Brazil 1,175,685,401 5.31 187,668,066 214,683,628 208,872,074 191,514,756 372,946,877 18.73
Netherlands 988,614,639 4.47 186,200,513 188,489,425 191,942,357 166,577,593 255,404,751 8.22
Oman 812,447,113 3.67 165,163,382 164,715,179 150,235,596 124,514,929 207,818,027 5.91
Iran 776,351,226 3.51 208,276,930 152,886,767 145,675,833 159,481,815 110,029,881 -14.75
France 646,730,711 2.92 128,532,953 141,902,928 148,457,656 84,953,692 142,883,482 2.68
U.K. 587,341,326 2.65 117,840,109 125,207,960 116,360,644 98,535,752 129,396,861 2.37
Source: Global Trade tracker – June 2023

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Supply Chain Dynamics5
Supply chain flows in Qatar are stable, with policies, procedures, and technologies in place to guarantee its integrity. Qatar is well-
positioned for trade. The country has superior air cargo capabilities, with Qatar Airways Cargo being a global leader. In addition to its air
cargo capacities and internationally impressive storage capabilities, Qatar has established diversified sea routes to continue linking the
country to worldwide markets. There is always the option and capacity to shift sea-bound traffic onto air cargo capacity, and vice versa,
should the need arise.

In 2017, Qatar launched the Strategic Food Security Facilities (SFSF) in Umm Al Houl. Partnering with industry leaders from Germany,
Italy, and Switzerland, this Hamad Port project consists of storage facilities, silos, reservoirs, and facilities for the processing,
manufacturing, and refining of rice, sugar, and edible oils. Qatar has also established storage facilities for 22 identified food and non-food
items to last for at least six months and up to a number of years. Taken together, food, medical and other supplies are secured for the
foreseeable future. The country also monitors quality and prices for those products, guarding against inflation or monopolistic practices.

The country’s transportation and retailing infrastructure is well developed and there are no significant issues hindering distribution. Cold
chain systems are well developed, so there are no issues with the distribution or retailing of chilled or frozen products. Supermarkets and
hypermarkets are the dominant distribution channels for foods, with consumers shopping in comfortable air-conditioned venues. Modern
grocery retailers are generally located in shopping malls.

Canada-Qatar Trade Relations

In 2020, Qatar was Canada’s 3rd largest merchandise trade partner in the Gulf Region, and 11 th most important partner in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) with a bilateral merchandise trade total of $196.2 million. Canada’s merchandise exports to Qatar in 2020
were valued at $113.5 million, and included mineral ores, aircraft and parts, machinery, cereals, and scientific instruments. Canada’s
2020 merchandise imports from Qatar, valued at $82.7 million, included mineral fuels and oils, aluminum, fertilizers, chemical products,
and mineral ores.
More than 9,000 Canadians live in Qatar, working within Canadian and Qatari companies and institutions. This dynamic expatriate
community is very active and boosts mutual economic relationships and interests. Canada and Qatar are directly linked through
commercial flights, with four direct flights per week between Montreal and Doha and three direct flights per week between Toronto and
Doha.

The import duty for most processed food products is a flat five per cent ad valorem. There are no import duties for live animals, fresh
fruits and vegetables, seafood, grains, flours, tea, sugar, spices, and seeds for planting. As a GCC6 country, Qatar applies the Unified
Customs Law. This includes the imposition of a five per cent tariff on the cost, insurance, and freight values of products such as textiles,
apparel, and travel goods.

Qatar has no import quotas. Non-tariff barriers, however, arise occasionally. As an example, the sale of pork and alcohol remains heavily
regulated, and sales are restricted to only one distribution point in all of Qatar, which is managed by the Qatar Distribution Company
(QDC). The government introduced a so-called sin tax in Jan. 2019 that includes a 100 per cent tax on pork, as well as a 50 per cent tax
on soft drinks, as it is increasingly concerned over the impact of rising obesity rates on health care costs.

As part of the GCC Customs Union, Qatar works with other member states toward unifying custom standards and conformity assessment
regimes. Nonetheless, each member state is applying its own existing standards until a uniform GCC standard is set.

5 Qatar’s Supply Chains and Logistic Systems | HBKU

6 Gulf Cooperation Council
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Market Access Regulations
The Supreme Council of Health is the competent body that oversees food and agricultural import regulations. Their objective is for
imported food to be safe, hygienic, and compliant with international standards and GCC regulations and fit for human consumption. Food
imports must follow strict guidelines of authenticity and certification from their country of origin.

Meanwhile, the Port Health and Food Control Section monitors the standards and safety of food imports into Qatar. Its functions include
periodic inspections, testing and sampling for spoilage and chemical and microbiological contamination at four designated entry ports
throughout Qatar. The Hamad Port project, just outside of Doha, was designed to meet the significant growth of imports into the country.

Labelling and marking requirements are compulsory for any products exported to Qatar. Labels must either be in Arabic only, or bilingual
with Arabic as the second language. Labels must be applied prior to transportation. Production and expiration dates are required to be
on all “original” food labels.

Prospects and opportunities

The annual food consumption in Qatar is expected to grow mainly due to population growth, urbanization, the widening upper class, and
the growing expatriate population. Food consumption is also positively impacted by growing tourism levels, driven by the 2022 FIFA
World Cup.

As part of The Qatar National Vision 2030, the country has been actively expanding its international relationships to diversify its sources
of food imports since the 2017 Gulf Rift. The Qatari plan consists of the creation of a national food security system that includes price,
availability, nutritional quality, and safety that requires a combination of production, trade, and forward planning. This government plan
has already started to materialize in 2022, with countries as far as the southern tip of the Americas, Brazil and Uruguay becoming top
suppliers of chicken and milk powder, respectively.

During the 2018 to 2022 period, Manitoba exported wheat, honey, peas, and kidney beans to Qatar, valued $3.8 million. Manitoba may
consider expanding its market share in those markets and/or entering other agri-food markets that have shown high growth in the last
few years. Table 3 shows a list of Qatar’s selected agri-food imports by category and their growth in value from 2018 to 2022. For
example, poultry and poultry products account for 6.9 per cent of the total imports in value for the 2018 to 2022 period and show solid
market growth at 13.4 per cent CAGR. In 2022, Qatar imported 111,000 tonnes of poultry products valued at $444.5 million, almost
doubling the imports from previous year.

Boneless beef (fresh and frozen) imports have seen a CAGR of 21.3 per cent for the 2018 to 2022 period, reaching $193.9 million in
2022. Retail volume sales of meat will continue to expand at a robust pace during the forecast period 2023 to 2027,7, as population
continues to grow. Wheat imports have also seen an increased from 191,000 tonnes in 2018 to 213,000 tonnes in 2022 in volume, valued
at $93 million in 2022 with a CAGR of 24.1 per cent for the 2028 to 2022 period. Currently, Manitoba accounts for one per cent of this
market.

The dairy category shows continuous growth with a CAGR of 11.8 per cent (2018-2022). The top four suppliers were Oman, the
Netherlands, France and Uruguay. As Manitoba companies are looking for other markets outside CUSMA partners, Qatar may be
considered as option.

7 Euromonitor, Staples Foods in Qatar – February 2023

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Table 3 – Qatar total global agri-food imports of specific products by category (in value)

Total
% of total 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 CAGR
Description 2018-2022
imports $ $ $ $ $ %
$

Total agri-food products 22,133,267,286 100.00 4,474,472,461 4,308,838,163 4,223,512,549 3,850,094,534 5,276,349,579 4.21

Chicken products total 1,528,210,354 6.90 268,884,380 296,589,571 276,518,646 241,743,583 444,474,174 13.38

Frozen and fresh boneless beef 634,261,055 2.87 89,689,898 102,854,052 119,095,830 128,680,822 193,940,453 21.26

Wheat 306,429,728 1.38 39,200,791 42,798,996 63,811,019 67,724,655 92,894,267 24.07

Milk and cream powder unsweetened 303,025,570 1.37 54,072,662 61,522,041 60,132,243 42,846,857 84,451,767 11.79

Potatoes (prepared or preserved) 217,159,901 0.98 31,906,813 44,250,462 44,993,140 37,887,341 58,122,145 16.18

Pork products 130,651,880 0.59 39,023,032 32,557,732 20,457,700 15,309,174 23,304,242 - 12.09

Beans (dried, fresh or chilled, preserved) 93,454,317 0.42 16,982,374 17,602,237 21,122,002 16,121,397 21,626,307 6.23

Honey 59,649,994 0.27 9,186,201 10,950,371 14,690,486 12,145,787 12,677,149 8.39

Green peas (fresh, frozen and prepared) 36,085,722 0.16 6,837,219 6,876,273 7,472,453 6,245,470 8,654,307 6.07

Dried, shelled chickpeas 32,647,006 0.15 7,003,557 5,297,426 5,792,555 6,275,712 8,277,756 4.27
Source: Global Trade tracker – June 2023

Prepared potatoes are becoming a popular food product in Qatar. Frozen fries are widely popular among children and also attracting
adults as an easy and tasty snack or meal component. Qatar imported close to 28,000 tonnes of processed potatoes in 2022, valued at
$58.1 million with a CAGR value of 16.2 per cent for the 2018 to 2022 period. The Netherlands was the main supplier of processed
potatoes, with 46 per cent of the total import value. Canada ranked in ninth place, accounting for 1.5 per cent in value of those imports
for 2022. Although there is no record of Manitoba exports of processed potatoes to Qatar, the growth in imports signals an opportunity
to be considered for future years.

Pork products are only available to expatriates carrying a license and they are only sold via the country’s licensee – QDC in Doha. In
2022, Qatar imported 6,000 tonnes of pork products, up four per cent from 2018. In 2022, pork imports were valued at $23 million, with
sausages and similar products being close to 80 per cent of the total. Turkey, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the U.S. and Brazil were
the main suppliers.

Shelf stable beans are also very popular among Qataris, and baked beans with the expatriate population. Canned chickpeas and other
beans are widely used in cooking, due to their convenience in comparison to dried alternatives. In 2022, chickpeas imports reached $8.3
million with a CAGR of 4.3 per cent for the 2018 to 2022 period. In 2022, Canada was Qatar’s third largest supplier of chickpeas, valued
at $0.5 million and a CAGR of 45.2 per cent for the same period. In the case of beans, imports reached $21.6 million in value and a
CAGR of six per cent for the 2018 to 2022 period, also signaling opportunities for Manitoba.

Honey imports have been growing steadily year after year. They reached 1,900 tonnes in 2022, an increase of 600 tonnes with respect
of 2018 and a total value of $12.6 million. The CAGR for the 2018 to 2022 period was 8.3 per cent.

Green peas are viewed as a nutritious convenient food to keep in stock. The demand for processed green peas comes from their use in
a wide range of dishes. In 2002, imports of green peas reached $8.6 million, with frozen processed green peas representing over 42 per
cent of the total in value. Frozen processed peas reported a CAGR of 5.3 per cent for the 2018 to 2022 period. Canada was the main
supplier of green peas to Qatar in 2022, accounting for over 13 per cent in value of total imports.

Qatar may be an interesting market to explore, considering the growth of specific food categories, its desire to expand its already diverse
pool of suppliers, and the fact that it has one of the highest purchasing power per person rates in the world.
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Key contact organizations
The Embassy of Canada to Qatar
Tornado Tower 30th Floor
Corner of Majlis Al Taawon St. and Al Funduq St.
Doha, Qatar
Tel: 011-974 4419 9000
Fax: 011-974 4419 9035
Email: dohatd@international.gc.ca

List of importers
Broadway International Agency
Industrial Area, Street No. 52, Zone 91, Building No. 94
P.O.Box 201820
Doha, Qatar
Tel: 011-974 44 11 60 77
Fax: 011-974 44 11 60 22
Broadway International Agency - Qatar

Quality International Fruits and Vegetables W.L.L.

P.O.Box 9130
Doha, Qatar
Tel.: 011-974 44 21 28 68
Fax: 011-974 44 27 72 61
qualitygroupintl.com

Qatar national Import & Export

P.O.Box 490
Doha, Qatar
Tel: 011-974 40 33 90 00
Fax: 011-974 40 33 91 99
qnie.com

Paris Food International W.L.L.

Industrial Area, Street number 39
Doha, Qatar
Tel: 011-974 44 21 54 54
Fax:011-974 44 21 50 96
https://www.parisarabia.com.qa

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References
www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/
www.cia.gov
www.wikipedia.org
www.worldbank.org
www.statista.com
www.tateastlas.com
www.trademap.org
www.agr.gc.ca
www.nationsencyclopedia.com
www.nationmaster.com
www.canada.ca
www.bestfoodimporters.com
https://cwf.ca/research/publications/north-america-brief-07-rail-mergers-u-s-product-labelling/

Others:
Catsnet
Euromonitor
Global Trade Tracker

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