Welsh food and drink producers from the UK are in Qatar until November 14 for a six-day visit to strengthen and build ties with prospective partners and investors, it was announced yesterday.
As part of the Welsh government’s ‘Food and Drink Wales Trade Development Visit’ to Doha, 10 F&B companies are showcasing their products to a host of distributors and retail buyers, all looking to secure new business opportunities and strengthen ties with Qatar – a key strategic market, the statement said.
The visit is the second year running that the Welsh government has taken a trade delegation to the region and is aiming to build on the success of last year. The objective is to continue the development of networking and collaboration opportunities between producers, the Welsh government, and Qatar, as well as strengthening business, trade, and tourism relationships. 
The Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths AM, said, “This trade visit to Qatar provides a great opportunity for Welsh food and drink producers seeking to build new contacts in overseas markets and is part of our overall drive to support Welsh exports. Exports for the sector have grown in the past decade as businesses develop relationships and explore markets around the world.
“The Qatari food and drink market has great potential and is well suited to Wales’s high quality produce. I am delighted we are supporting this group of producers going out to Doha to explore new markets first hand and to develop further connections with international businesses.”
Qatar is regarded as a vitally strategic market for Wales and trade between the two nations continues to grow each year, the statement said. “In a country with one of the highest incomes per capita in the world, there is a growing population that has a preference for eating out, healthy options, and premium foods.”
Since the launch over a year ago of Qatar Airways flights from Cardiff, which operates up to seven times per week between Cardiff and Doha, this has opened up the prospect of further trade and investment between the two countries. 
The Welsh companies taking part in the visit include Frank’s Ice Cream, Prima Foods UK, Ultrapharm, The Lobster Pot, Llanllyr Source, Gut Instinct Foods, Ferrari’s Coffee, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, Randell Parker Foods, and Dunbia.
During the visit, delegates will take part in a ‘market briefing, store visit programme’, a networking event, ‘Meet the Producer’ event, and visit the Hospitality Qatar exhibition.
The Qatari food and drink market is experiencing growth in the following categories: organic, free-from, premium private label, healthy lifestyle such as vegan and vegetarian, low carbohydrate, low sugar, high protein, convenience foods and easy to prepare foods, packaged food and meat (must be halal, and certified by an organisation recognised by the Qatari authorities), the statement said.
It added that Qatar’s hospitality sector is expected to grow by over 12% to reach $1.4bn by 2022. “Tourism is a key growth area with a target of attracting 5.6mn tourists by 2023 and an expected 1.5mn tourists in 2022 when Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup.”