According to the Department for International Trade, some 300,000 British companies make products that could be exported but currently have no overseas sales. 
Against this backdrop, Baroness Fairhead, Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion, is urging UK companies take an active stand in shaping the government’s forthcoming export strategy. She issued a final call for businesses to give their input. 
Ministers have already conducted a series of roundtables with businesses of all sizes and across a number of sectors. 
These have been convened in conjunction with key stakeholders, including the Federation of Small Business and the British Chambers of Commerce, to understand the barriers preventing companies from exporting.
The export strategy will build on the recent industrial strategy, as well as complementing future British trade policy, by helping firms to increase their capacity to export their goods and services overseas.
Businesses are being asked to reflect on the challenges they face that currently prevent them from exporting to foreign markets. 
They will also be asked about the specific needs of their sectors, as well as the current offer of support available to them. 
Baroness Fairhead stated: “Building on the foundations laid by the industrial strategy and our future trade policy, I am confident that with the vital contribution of British businesses – we can help take UK exports to the next level.”
With one of the highest rates of GDP per capita in the world and a stable government and economy, there is real potential for UK companies to export their products and services to Qatar. There are immense opportunities in sectors such as infrastructure development (including projects related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the new Qatar rail networks and Doha metro), healthcare, education, clean energy innovation as well as financial and professional services.
In the 12 months to end October 2017, UK exports to Qatar increased by 21.9% compared to the same period in the previous year. 
Commenting on the positive growth, Baroness Fairhead said: “This increase highlights the strength of demand for UK goods in Qatar and underlines the world-leading quality of British products.”
She added: “The Department for International Trade will work to increase exports between the UK and Qatar even further to the mutual economic benefit of both countries.” 
The top 5 UK goods exported to Qatar in 2016 were machinery and mechanical appliances (43.7% of all UK goods exported to Qatar), precious stones and metals (21.9%), vehicles, other than railway or tramway stock (6.6%), electrical machinery and equipment (4.7%) and aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof (4.3%). 
The export strategy is expected to report in the coming months.