Envoy Sees Scope for Boosting Indian Exports, Qatari Investments

India’s top diplomat here has underlined the need to expand the South Asian nation’s export basket to Qatar and attract more investments from the LNG-rich Gulf state, as part of both countries’ ongoing efforts to forge robust trade and investment ties.

According to Indian ambassador Vipul, while Qatar currently enjoys a trade surplus with India due to its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports, there is “further space for increasing Indian exports”, adding that “India is doing quite a lot on value-added products”.

“There are exports of commodities, particularly food products, as well as an increasing focus on manufacturing. 

The government of India is very focused; I think world-class products are coming out of India, whether it be in electronics, smartphones, household products, or many other fields,” stated Vipul on the sidelines of the ‘India Utsav 2025’ launch at LuLu Hypermarket in Al Gharrafa.

He also said: “So I think in the years to come, Indian exports should increase further to Qatar. And that is also the effort on the part of the government of India – that we remain engaged with both the businesses here, as well as with government entities, to see how we can further increase India’s exports to Qatar, as well.”

The ambassador explained that the state visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to India last February opened wider avenues for investments, including a target to enhance Qatar’s investments in India by $10bn and establish a Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) office in India.

Vipul said: “We are talking with government entities here. And of course, whenever an investment decision is made, it’s made based on business decisions and the rate of return that an entity will get. But our job as government, I feel, is to provide those projects, provide the ground-level information, and promote the networks between the two countries. And that is what we are engaged in.”

Speaking at the India Utsav 2025 launch ceremony, which commemorated India’s 79th Independence Day, Vipul lauded LuLu for its role in showcasing Indian products in Qatar. The ambassador reflected on India’s journey since 1947, highlighting the nation’s democratic values, rapid economic growth, advances in science and technology, and poverty reduction efforts in the past decade.

He emphasised the historic roots of India–Qatar trade, saying LuLu now stands as the Gulf’s leading example of how the retail industry fosters people-to-people connections. Vipul also commended LuLu’s global sourcing and its role in introducing India and its products to diverse communities worldwide.