Qatar Chamber, IOFS seek to promote inter-trade between Islamic countries

Qatar Chamber has hosted a meeting with a delegation representing the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) to enhance co-operation relations in the field of food security and promote inter-trade between Islamic countries.
The meeting provided a background of the IOFS, its agenda, and activities. It also called on the Qatari private sector to take part in the organisation’s various events and activities.
Qatar Chamber board member Mohamed bin Ahmed al-Obaidli, who is chairman of the chamber’s Food Security and Environment Committee, received the delegation, which was led by Dr Masoud Jarallah al-Marri, chairman of the IOFS Executive Council, and Professor Yerlan A Baidaulet, director general.
Al-Obaidli underscored the private sector’s interest to invest in food security projects and to contribute to raising the state’s self-sufficiency in different goods, saying Qatar’s advanced infrastructure enabled the private sector to play a greater role. He emphasised that Qatari investors are keen to invest in Islamic countries, especially those that offer guarantees, incentives, and legislation that attract and protect investments.
For his part, al-Marri, thanked the chamber for hosting the meetings, noting that the IOFS was established in 2016 and is comprised of 35 member countries. It aims to enhance co-operation between member states in many areas, including agriculture and food security. He said IOFS is looking forward to playing a greater role in the private sector in these sectors.
Al-Marri noted that the Dubai-based International Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA), which is affiliated with the IOFS, aims to diversify and strengthen food supply chains among Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) member states.
Baidaulet emphasised that Qatar’s presidency of the IOFS Executive Council will enhance the growth of the food security sector, which gains great importance from the state.
During the meeting, Baidaulet gave an overview of the IFPA, which was established in 2021 under the auspices of the IOFS with the aim to facilitate private-sector-led trade and investment across all agri-food ecosystem players for sustainable development of food security among OIC member states.
“IFPA aims to contribute to achieving food security for the OIC member countries through close cooperation with companies from the private sector and is also working to assist member states in building food processing capabilities and expanding trade opportunities,” he noted.
He further said IFPA has 32 active members from chambers of commerce food unions and companies operating in the agri-food sector. He invited Qatari companies to join the association, which opens new access to larger markets in several Islamic countries that own enormous potential and capabilities in food security fields.
Members of the meeting agreed that Qatar Chamber will host a joint seminar with IOFS representatives and the Qatari private sector to learn more about its activities and how to maximise mutual benefit in all areas of IOFS’s objectives.