Through the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in coordination with Qatar Development Bank, Qatar has secured the unanimous approval of the GS1 General Assembly to establish a barcode office for Qatari products. Qatar has been assigned the code 630 for locally manufactured products, which can be exported or traded within the country.
The barcode provided by GS1 represents an important development in terms of providing tracking technology for locally-manufactured products, from production to retail, both domestically and internationally.
The office will be activated during the fourth quarter of this year, through direct coordination with the Qatari private sector, a pillar and major beneficiary of this office.
Commenting on this latest development, H.E. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Commerce and Industry, said: “The establishment of a barcode office, and the creation of a coding system for Qatari products, represents a distinguished achievement in the context of implementing the country’s industrial strategy. It is also a reflection of the Qatari private sector’s ability to achieve self-sufficiency, and to compete at the global level by exporting Qatari products. We are proud of this achievement, and we will work in coordination with the private sector towards developing our industrial system to keep pace with the aspirations of our leadership.”
For his part, Mr. Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al-Khalifa, CEO of Qatar Development Bank, said: “The event coincides with the third anniversary of the unfair blockade, which was undoubtedly a catalyst for the localisation of many local industries and services. In this context, Qatar Development Bank was quick to closely coordinate with the private sector and the government, represented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to create a unified local barcode office to facilitate the process of tracking Qatari products, which will help in boosting the competitiveness of Qatari exports through the Qatar Export Development Agency, the non-oil export development arm of Qatar Development Bank. The allocation of the code 630 for locally-manufactured products is a milestone in the development of Qatar’s local industries, and paves the way for their expansion across the globe.”
GS1, a non-profit organisation established in 1973 with offices in more than 110 countries, provides barcodes to track products around the world. The Qatari barcode office will represent the latest addition to the international organisation.
