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H.E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassem bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, inaugurated on Thursday February 15, 2018 the Seasonal Dates Market organized by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce in cooperation with Souq Waqif. The seasonal dates market, the largest festival of its kind, brings together around 85 local and foreign companies specialized in the “production, supply and distribution of dates” from Kuwait, Oman, Iran, Tunisia and Algeria among other countries. The exhibition will run until Thursday March 15, 2018.
 
The opening ceremony was attended by H.E sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al Thani, Chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association, H.E sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber and Mr. Mohamed Badr Al Sada, CEO of Hassad Food Company, along with a number of Ambassadors from participating countries
 
In opening remarks, H.E the minister of Economy and Commerce thanked all participants in the market, stressing that this event falls in line with the ministry’s efforts to support Qatar in its journey towards achieving self-sufficiency across all sectors particularly the food sector.
 
His Excellency also highlighted the role that the market plays in promoting national date products and different kinds of date produce in addition to offering local and foreign companies the opportunity to directly sell their products to the public, which would reflect positively on their sales volume and support their efforts to expand production capacity.
 
H.E. added that the Seasonal Dates Market presents an opportunity to promote trade and investment cooperation between local and foreign companies as well as to exchange expertise in date-related industries, thus enhancing the competitiveness of national products in local and global markets.
 
The market is the largest specialized exhibition for dates of different kind and offers companies the opportunity to display and promote their various date produce as well as dates-related food and industrial products.
 
The Seasonal Dates Market offers traders, entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises the unique opportunity to display their dates products and related manufactured goods.
 
Within this framework, the Ministry had invited foreign companies to participate in the dates market, presenting them the opportunity to exhibit their products, and enter into agreements and partnerships that will bolster bilateral trade in this field and provide access to new markets.
 
The ministry also sought to empower local investors to market their products in foreign markets and gain insight into the expertise of participating countries in a bid to improve the quality of local date products and strengthen its position in foreign markets.
 
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce invites the public to visit the seasonal dates market, which welcomes visitors daily from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, and from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm, to learn about the various dates and products that go into their production.