Tehran Hosts Iran-Qatar Trade, Investment Confab

Iran is negotiating deals with the Qatari side in the fields of maritime transportation, insurance, banking and food security, Alireza Peymanpak, the head of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, said on the sidelines of Iran-Qatar Trade and Investment Conference on Monday.
Referring to the emphasis of President Ebrahim Raisi’s government on bolstering relations with neighbors, he said, "Although Qatar is one of the countries politically and regionally aligned with Iran, not much attention has been paid to the use of commercial and economic opportunities with that country over the past few years,” Mehr News Agency reported.
Tehran hosted a delegation of Qatari businessmen and investors in the conference. B2B meetings were held between more than 100 Iranian economic players and their Qatari counterparts to develop imports and exports, and invest in joint production and export to third countries through Iran.
"The level of trade between Iran and Qatar is currently about $200-250 million, and we are trying to increase this figure," Peymanpak said.
"The focus of this delegation was on establishing food security, activating Iran's geopolitical position as a grain hub in the region with the participation of Qatari capital and using the capacity of Hamad Port.”

Billion-Dollar Trade Development

Iran and Qatar are planning a billion-dollar trade development between them for which the Qatari Businessmen Association is keen on strengthening trade exchange between the two countries.
"We are planning a billion-dollar trade development between the two countries, which is achievable," Mohsen Rezaei, a vice president of Iran, told the QBA meeting held in October 2022.
Highlighting that Qatar and Iran are working on real partnership in the commercial field, he said the Iranian market is huge and includes 90 million consumers and it is also a member of major economic alliances that consist of about 500 million consumers.
"So, there is an Iranian will to open the way for Qatari investors to take advantage of the huge opportunities available in the commercial and industrial fields," he said.
Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, QBA chairman, said, “We know the importance of the Iranian market, which is rich in opportunities, and we wish to strengthen economic relations and look forward to more mutual visits of businessmen from both countries.”
Rezaei urged Qatari investors to explore several projects in Iran, including investing in the agricultural sector, especially those related to wheat and corn, where lands can provide more than 5 million tons of wheat, which will achieve self-sufficiency for Arab and Muslim countries.
He highlighted that it was agreed between the leadership of the two countries to appoint two representatives from both sides as soon as possible to facilitate the flow of trade and investment between the two countries.
The Iranian vice president stressed the positive role QBA can play to develop trade exchange by promoting cooperation between Qatari and Iranian companies, which will help increase intra-regional trade.
Hussein Alfardan, QBA first deputy, confirmed the keenness of both sides on strengthening economic and trade relations and develop trade exchange, as he highlighted the opportunities to develop cooperation between the Qatari and Iranian private sectors in various fields such as tourism, industry and trade.
Saud al-Mana, a QBA board member, spoke about the Iranian Trade Center that was established six months ago in Doha’s Qatar Financial Center with the private sector, and is now conducting its first exhibition in the country to promote products such as medicines, food, building materials, carpets and other products.
Other QBA members who attended the meeting include Sheikh Faisal bin Fahd al-Thani, Khaled al-Mannai and Maqbool Habib Khalfan. Sarah Abdullah, QBA deputy general manager, was also present.

World’s Biggest Saffron Trade Contract

The world’s biggest contract for saffron trade was signed between Iran and Qatar on Sept. 18, 2022, in the presence of Iran’s Ambassador in Doha Hamidreza Dehqani Poudeh and Qatar’s Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, ILNA reported on Monday.
Based on the contract, 200 tons of saffron worth around $300 million will be processed and exported from Iran to the neighboring Qatar.
The first consignment of Iranian saffron under this contract has already been shipped, according to local Iranian sources.
Al Kuwari said in the meeting that Qatar is ready to cooperate with Iran in processing saffron on par with global standards.
Experts believe this contract is one of a kind and can have a positive impact on Iran’s domestic saffron market and help export processed instead of raw saffron, creating value added for the precious Iranian spice.
Iran produces over 90% of all saffron produced in the world, 80% of which are exported. However, the share of Iran in the global trade of saffron is disproportionately low, as many customers of the Iranian spice buy it in bulk and reexport after packaging it to third countries.
The city of Torbat-e Heydariyeh is considered the capital of saffron in the world.