Qatar eyes Mindanao poultry

QATAR Investment Authority (QIA)’s interested in sourcing out poultry products from Mindanao poses a challenge of sustaining halal commodities to cater to bigger market.

During the Habi at Kape weekly press conference at Abreeza Ayala Malls last Wednesday, January 17, Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) deputy executive director assistant secretary Romeo Montenegro said that QIA had expressed interest in sourcing out some of the agricultural products from Mindanao, especially of poultry.

After what happened to Qatar last year involving its isolation from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) due to some internal issues, Montenegro said the Qatar government is currently looking at other areas where they can source out commodities they need, Mindanao being one of the potential areas because of its viability.

“One challenge for us in Mindanao is to already come up with halal-certified commodities and products. That is one area that we have not been able to take advantage of ever since in terms of coming up with halalcertified commodities directed towards bigger market destinations,” said Montenegro.

Other investment interest that QIA and other foreign investments are considering includes infrastructure especially with the increased infrastructure spending of the country from 2.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 5 percent and beyond.

“They’ve seen possible entry points for investing in infrastructure development in Mindanao especially the big ticket ones –railways, for instance, and many of all the other projects that are being focused in other parts of the country and in Mindanao,” he said.

According to Montenegro, QIA is the 8th largest investment body worldwide in terms of the investments that they manage.