Local production of medical masks will start in Qatar within a month, Mohammed Hassan Al Malki, a senior official of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has said, as Qatar ramps up efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The production equipment is expected to arrive in Qatar in two weeks and once it is here, two or three factories will start manufacturing masks in Qatar, with assistance from the Qatar Development Bank (QDB), MoCI’s Assistant Undersecretary for Industry Affairs Mohammed Hassan al Malki told QNA in an interview.
Around five local factories are currently manufacturing disinfectants and sanitizers and their combined output is sufficient to meet the demand of the whole country, he added.
Qatar has a vast experience in dealing with a crisis, he said, noting that the coronavirus situation normal and the ministry has a forward-looking vision and plan to deal with any emergency.
Maliki said the ministry, in cooperation with the Qatar Development Bank, has a mechanism in place to avoid shortage of any essential in Qatar in the coming period.
Malki attributed the growth in the industrial sector during the past years to improving many investment laws and increasing the facilities provided to investors, in addition to enhancing private sector’s infrastructure, and addressing many of the challenges facing the local and foreign investor, besides other factors that strengthened the Industrial investment.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry offers a variety of facilities, including those related to providing industrial lands, customs exemptions on raw materials, equipment and machinery, a preference for electricity pricing, and providing integrated services and advanced infrastructure of electricity, water, sanitation, and others.
“There is great direct support for the industrial investor, and last year we exempted factories from the rental fees for a full year and more than 400 factories benefited from them, whether in the industrial zone that belongs to the ministry or Manateq company’s Mesaieed industrial area,” he added.
Source: MoCI
