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QNA
Doha
The agricultural sector has taken a big stride towards meeting the needs of the local market by raising self-sufficiency in vegetable, livestock and fishery sectors, a top official of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) has said.
Speaking at the conclusion of a two-day seminar on food security attended by Minister of Municipality and Environment HE Mohamed bin Abdullah al Rumaihi on Thursday, Assistant Undersecretary of the MME HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser al Thani said that self-sufficiency level in local vegetables stands at 24 percent, while it's 86 percent for date and 50 percent for green fodder.
The self-sufficiency level in milk and dairy products has increased to more than 82 percent, 98 percent in fresh chicken and 23 percent for table eggs.
He said the number of livestock increased to about 1.6 million heads, while the self-sufficiency level in fish reached around 80 percent.
He said finding appropriate solutions to the challenges facing food security can only be realised by coordinating efforts, exchanging expertise and utilising all the available resources at the local, regional and international levels.
Dr Faleh said Qatar has launched several initiatives to achieve food security by providing opportunities to private investors in the agricultural sector, with the launch of four large strategic projects for the production of vegetables over an area of 1 million square metres per project.
Over the next few years, he added, several investment projects will be made available for the production of green fodder with the use of treated wastewater.
He said a new investment project has been launched for fisheries in floating cages with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes per year. Two other projects are planned for the next few years, while the ministry recently launched an investment project for shrimp farming with an annual capacity of 1,000 tonnes.
He said preliminary estimates and feasibility studies have indicated that the country's self-sufficiency level will increase to 70 percent in fresh vegetables in two years, 100 percent in dairy products within eight months, 90 percent in table eggs in two years, fish within two years, and 100 percent of shrimp in two years.
A new marketing programme for Qatari vegetables was also launched in consumer complexes with the participation of 105 Qatari farms.
The ministry is carrying out research on raising agricultural productivity and evaluating and adopting modern technologies to improve the performance of this vital sector.
He said the Aquatic Fisheries and Research Center at Ras Matbakh in Al Khor is set to become one of the most important productive research centres in the field of aquaculture. Work on the design of the Agricultural Research and Guidance Center in Al Mazrouah, and the first phase of the project, is set to start in 2019.
THE Animal Production Research Station in Al Shahaniya, which opened earlier in the month to develop research on animal production and artificial insemination technology, will increase the animal production in the country.
Dr Faleh said Qatar is following a comprehensive and inclusive approach for sustainable development and seeks to integrate government and private sectors to meet the needs of all segments of society.
He stressed on working to activate cooperation between the ministry and the private sector, including local, regional and international institutions, to intensify the efforts for comprehensive development in agricultural, economic and social fields.
"MME has a great responsibility regarding food security and developing natural resources to increase production, to bridge the gap between production and consumption and to increase self-sufficiency in vegetables, fish, red meat and animal products. This is what the agricultural strategy of Qatar has focused on, all whilst preserving the Qatari environment for the future generations and sustainably developing it," he added.
