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Rania Hamed
Doha
Qatari government is offering full support to the youth interested in investing in agriculture in the country, Minister of Municipality and Environment HE Mohammed bin Abdullah al Rumaihi has said.
Talking to Qatar Tribune, on the sidelines of the Fifth Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (Agriteq 2017) being held at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, the minister expressed the government's desire to attract more youngsters to agriculture.
"We are keen to encourage the youth to work in such a promising sector. We are fully conscious of the fact that there is a lack of expertise in the sector. However, we can overcome this handicap by working hand in hand with experts and specialists, as well as with different companies to help apply creative ideas to the agricultural sector," the minister said.
"Qatar has made significant progress towards developing and promoting agriculture in the county in face of all these difficulties. We have been making great efforts to implement strategies to realise our goals on food security. We are encouraging youth to invest in agriculture by providing them with facilities needed to set up their projects successfully such as technology, materials, fertilisers, veterinary services and consultations, as well as financial support in coordination with Qatar Development Bank (QDB)," the minister said.
According the official statistics, Qatar has reached a milestone on way to achieving the target of food security. Qatar now occupies the top position among Middle-East countries and is ranked seventh globally in terms of food security, thanks to the Government's immeasurable efforts to develop this sector.
Coordination between all the stakeholders has helped in increasing the food supply in the country. This will help avoid the possibility of food shortage in the future, the minister added.
Agriteq 2017 has been attracting large numbers of visitors as well as investors, who come to discover the latest technologies in agriculture, which are being exhibited by local, regional and international companies.

The exhibition, according to the minister, will help in developing plans for Qatari agriculture, raise awareness about its importance and improve farming skills leading to improvement in production both in quantitative and qualitative terms.
He added that Agritech 2017 would make agriculture in Qatar more promising from the business and economic perspective.
As for the complaints of the local farmers regarding unfair competition between local and imported farm products, Rumaihi said:"We follow certain regulations and principles to organise the market and protect the rights of all traders. Our aim is to provide a level playing field for both local and foreign traders. However, the role of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce in controlling the markets and auctions to ensure local presence must be appreciated."
Regarding the MME's upcoming projects, he said:"We have been working on many projects simultaneously. The MME, in collaboration with the MEC, seeks to establish three new fishing farms over an area of one square kilometre inside the sea. This will enhance fish production significantly in Qatar and will enable Qatar to export large quantities of canned fish. A new fish-canning factory will be set up in Shamal city."
The minister said that the main aim of the exhibition is to raise agricultural production in the country in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
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26/03/2017
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