The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with Qatar Development Bank (QDB)’s Coding and Tracking Office (GS1 Qatar Office), organized a workshop entitled ‘Introducing Qatari Coding and Tracking Office and International Barcode’.

The workshop featured introducing the global standards organisation (GS1), the business solution services it provides, the global standards system (GS1 System), and the rules for assigning article numbers to products, services, and places.

Also, during the workshop, the Qatar’s Coding and Tracking Office (GS1 Qatar) was introduced, as well as the services it provides to Qatari companies, and the most important sectors registered in it, such as food industries, agricultural products, pharmaceutical industries, drug stores, chemical industries, clothing and textiles, electrical appliances, and furniture.

The workshop also touched on the global barcode, as well as its types, reading mechanisms, various use applications, barcode printing and its quality, printing methods and mechanisms, correct barcode placement, and the mechanism of using the Global Company Prefix (GCP) in creating the global barcode, in addition to addressing the mechanisms of registration and obtaining membership in GS1 Qatar Office.

The office was established last year, after Qatar had obtained in 2020, by a unanimous vote, the approval of the General Assembly of GS1 to establish a barcode office for Qatari products. Qatar was granted the code 630 for locally-made products that can be exported or even traded within the country.