Ambassador of Australia to Qatar Jonathan Muir; Director of Lulu Group International Dr Mohamed Althaf; and others during the opening of ‘Australia Week 2022’ at the Abu Sidra branch of Lulu Hypermarket. Pics: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Leading retailer Lulu Group has launched Australia Week 2022 at its outlets yesterday, offering a variety of Australian products.
On special promotional sale at extraordinary special prices will be all that Australia is famous for — from succulent meat to fresh foods, cupboard essentials, specialty range, and much more.
The important categories that are imported include the entire range of fresh meat, grocery lines, honey, chilled and dairy, cheeses, almond, and an amazing variety of fresh fruits and vegetables among many more.
The week-long festival is being organised in cooperation with the Austrade (The Australian Trade and Investment Commission) with the aim to promote Australian products in the Qatari market. The Lulu Group has been conducting the Australian festival since 2018.
Ambassador of Australia to Qatar H E Jonathan Muir inaugurated the festival at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Sidra in the presence of many dignitaries including Dr. Mohamed Althaf. Director of Lulu Group International, officials from the Austrade and Australian business groups operating in Qatar.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the event, the Australian Ambassador said ‘Australia Week 2022’ is offering fantastic Australian products.
Ambassador Jonathan Muir preparing an Australian dish during the opening of ‘Australia Week 2022’ at a Lulu outlet.
He said the festival introduced many new products such as honey with iconic Australian brand, mango, fresh Australian meat, plenty of fresh juice, vegetables and many more. “Under the festival, Lulu provided great platform to promote Australian products in Qatar. We plan to hold the festival annually.”
Speaking about the export of meat from Australia to Qatar, he said Qatar was the third largest market for Australian lamb after China and the US because of well-established supply chains.
Addressing the event, the Ambassador said that as citizens and residents of Qatar know better than most, Australia has a reputation for producing some of the best meat in the world. “Raised and processed to strict health standards, our organic and halal Wagyu and Angus beef are winning fans everywhere,” said the Ambassador.
He said Australian lamb is prized for its natural, grass-fed quality — with products tailored to meet the specific needs of international markets.
“Australian cheese, from cheddar to Brie, camembert, mascarpone, feta and haloumi, are also some of the world’s best. In response to global consumer trends, many Australian companies now specialised in organic products and foods. Australia is producing foods with reduced sugar, salt and fat — preservative-free, gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free,” said the Ambassador.
He said people all over the world trust Australian food and beverage products to be of premium quality, nutritious, clean and sustainably produced. “Our beef, lamb, seafood, truffles and olive oil are consistently ranked among the world’s best.”
Director of Lulu Group International Dr. Mohamed Althaf said Australia is one of largest source of high protein for this region. “We are working to open a Lulu office for sourcing and export distributing in Australia. We are importing a lot of products directly from Australia. The new office will help in contacting with farmers and producers to bring more produce,” said Dr. Althaf.
He said that demand of Australian products is very high in Qatar because of their quality standards. Moreover, he said Australia has a very trustworthy halal certification system. “Australia has a historic relation with Middle East which was enhanced further with increasing airline connectivity tremendously. Now we have direct flight from Qatar to almost all major cities of Australia and the ports are also connected,” said Dr. Althaf.
He said under ‘Australia Week 2022’, besides traditional food items, Lulu offers some exclusive Australian products such as honey, cereals, healthy lines and high-quality local produce among others.
Australia has a major presence in Qatar, and the recent reports state that 3,100 Australian nationals have chosen Qatar as their second home. Australian halal-certified food is tremendously gaining wide acceptance and momentum in the region since long.
The promotion endeavors to promote a wide range of Australian products and to augment sales by increasing the extent of imports although Aussie products have a major presence in Lulu stores for a long time.
This week-long Aussie festival will be organised every year during the season of Australia’s National Day celebrations.
