Title: A blessing inside a calamity: Baladna Food Industries in Qatar

Authors: Jashim Uddin Ahmed; Fatema Begum; Asma Ahmed; Niza Talukder

Addresses: Department of Management, School of Business and Economics, North South University, Bashundhara, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh ' InterResearch, Bashundhara, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh ' InterResearch, Bashundhara, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh ' Department of Management, School of Business and Economics, North South University, Bashundhara, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh

Abstract: Baladna Food Industries, the largest Qatari dairy farm, emerged as one of the key players of Qatar's food self-sufficiency developments following the Saudi-led embargo in June 2017. With its prompt decisions to expand and invest heavily in production of dairy and meat products, the firm helped the tiny gulf state turn the blockade crisis into an opportunity. The paper begins with a description of Qatar's food industry and changes in market dynamics in the Middle East brought upon by the blockade. Using the five elements of strategy - arenas, vehicles, differentiators, staging and economic logic, the paper analyses how Baladna captured Qatar's dairy market and contributed to the nation's food security initiatives. Furthermore, the paper broaches a discussion on Baladna's diversification plans and the need for a strategy to sustain its market power amid opportunities lurking in Qatar's food industry.

Keywords: Qatar blockade; Baladna farm; Gulf Corporation Council; GCC; geopolitical shifts; food security; Qatar.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMED.2020.108709

International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 2020 Vol.19 No.3, pp.203 - 216

Received: 04 Feb 2019
Accepted: 19 Jan 2020
Published online: 28 Jul 2020 *

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