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Tribune News Network
Doha
A WELL-KNOWN Canadian entrepreneur specialised in animal nutrition has heaped praise on Qatari government for its policies promoting agriculture and animal farming in the country.
Russ Funk, the owner of Funk's Animal Nutrition in Mitchell, Manitoba, was recently in Qatar to share his animal feed recipes with local farmers.
Funk's visit to Qatar was upon a request by a Winnipeg Professor (who prefers to remain unnamed) to travel across the world for 12 days to share his knowledge on animal feeds, according to steinbachonline.com.
"The Qatari government is really promoting development and growth of the animal industry. I have never thought a farm boy from Mitchell would get to a country like that," exclaimed Funk."It has sort of opened my eyes to how they practise farming techniques and deal with the heat. I feel very privileged," he told the website praising the state-of-the-art agricultural technologies followed by Qatari farmers.
"The professor decided to take me along because he needed somebody with a technical background, which I was able to supply," Funk told the website.
Funk explained that the professor had reportedly partnered with a prominent Qatari businessman to form a company called Mahaseel Canada, whose primary objective was to bring products from Canada to Qatar in order to bolster the country's agricultural sector. Funk narrated how the businessman, his first contact in Qatar, picked him up in his Bentley and toured him around his farm, which included camels, zebras and tigers, alongside more conventional livestock like chickens. Funk suggested this was a valuable connection.
"The Qatari businessman helped us get connected to different farmers and producers in that area and we were able to go to some of those potential customers and offer some of the technical help and products that we have," Funk said.
Funk said he spent the majority of his time in Qatar networking and troubleshooting with these local farmers, adding that he eventually landed a deal with Mahaseel Canada for a large shipment of broiler chicken feed.
"The people of Qatar love Canadians and consider their products of high quality," said Funk, hoping that the agreement would open more doors so that his Steinbach-based company may begin to take part in global trade.
