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Satyendra Pathak
Doha
Qatar’s well-developed strategies have ensured that the country is least affected in terms of food security by the ongoing global Covid-19 crisis, Minister of Municipality & Environment HE Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al Subaie has said.
Speaking during a webinar entitled ‘Qatar’s Vision or Sustainable Food Security’ organised by US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC), the minister said, “Post-blockade, Qatar’s food security has focused on four main pillars like international trade and logistics, enable domestic markets, enhance domestic self-sufficiency, and increase strategic reserves.”
Subaie said, “On food security, we have learned the hard way due to the blockade. We developed many strategies to deal with a crisis. When the global COVID-19 crisis began, Qatar was one of the countries least affected."
The minister, however, said, “Being self-sufficient in terms of food security does not mean you are secure. Local production will not supersede the importance of international partnerships."
“We cherish the US-Qatar relationship. One of our main challenges has been water scarcity and we must always adapt the newest technologies and innovations to overcome this. We see a large opportunity to collaborate in this area,” the minister said.
Highlighting the importance of the public-private partnership (PPP) projects in Qatar’s food security programme, Subaie said, “Most of our initiatives and projects related to food security are targeted to the private sector. We work closely with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce so that PPP projects can start easily.”
“We have already begun PPP projects for fisheries with our first project almost finished. Fish farming licences will be floated in the next few months where we expect a lot of private sector interest,” the minister said.
The minister said, “For US partnerships, we are looking specifically to collaborate in the export of crops we are not cultivating here, technology transfer, and strategic development of the Hamad Port.”
Highlighting Qatar’s initiatives in environmental protection, the minister said, “Qatar has built into the Qatar National Vision 2030 with great importance on environmental protection. The upcoming FIFA WorldCup 2022 will be the first world cup that is carbon-neutral.”
Speaking at the webinar, Mohamed Badr Hashem al Sada said, “We already have a relationship with the US in food security. We have investments across the US in dairy, fodder, and other areas. Frozen meat, waste management, and testing and safety would be key areas we’d look for US collaboration.”
Mohammed Barakat, who participated in the webinar, said that the green buildings, initiatives for the carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup, carbon credits, and other programmes have made Qatar a leader in environmental sustainability in the region.
