India and Iran's fruit & veg exports to Qatar increase amid sanctions
The supply to Qatar has received a boost since early this month after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, and Yemen among others severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and blocked access to Doha, Qatar’s capital, by land, sea, and air.
Consequently, importers in Qatar have been buying more from India. Confirming the development, a senior official of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) said: “India’s fruit and vegetables exports to Qatar have increased in the last two weeks probably due to halt in their exports from Doha’s neighbouring countries.”
India’s exports of fresh fruits and vegetables are rising for the past three years owing to local producers turning quality-conscious. Also, Indian exporters have stepped up marketing, which has helped in price competitiveness in overseas markets.
Qatar is also importing over 1,000 tonnes of food a day from southern ports of Iran amid the blockade imposed on it blockade by several of its neighbours. The head of ports of the southern province of Bushehr, Mahdi Benchari, told the official IRNA news agency that 750 tonnes of food was shipped daily from the port of Boljeir, with 350 tonnes from Dayer to Qatar.
The ports of this province are strategically located since they are only 274 km from Qatar, giving them an opportunity to increase exports, Efe news reported. The shipment of food, especially fruits and vegetables, to Qatar is also being carried out by air from Iran.
source: business-standard.com
