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Santhosh Chandran
Al Khor
As coronavirus (COVID-19) cases have come down in Qatar, agricultural farms growing winter crops for local markets are gradually getting back to the normal mode of operation.
The vegetable farms that target manifold expansion this year at Al Shamal, Al Khor and Umm Salal Ali will resume routine operations shortly.
The first phase of winter farming — preparing soil-bed for sprouting seeds — will begin in the middle of August. Plantation of healthy saplings will begin by the end of September.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, a senior employee at the Al Khor Vegetables farm said, “We had expanded our winter vegetable cultivation by more than 200 percent last year. We are also planning for a similar expansion this year. We are also planning to add more varieties this year.”
The initiative of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) that offers a reduction in electricity and water charges will be an additional boost for the agriculture sector this year.
Kahramaa has completed a project to deliver electricity and water to farms in various regions of the country to help enhance production capacity.
Kahramaa has announced a reduction of 70 percent for electricity charges and 40 percent for water charges and said that farmlands would no longer be classified as commercial area.
The strong local supply chain and opening of winter vegetable markets at different locations along with the new wholesale market at Sailiya with an area dedicated to local vegetables have also inspired young investors to turn to the agriculture sector. The seed market will also become active within a couple of weeks.
An official of a leading hypermarket said, “We will open a dedicated section for seeds in some of our outlets owing to the growing interest of people in farming. We are getting a lot of enquiries about flower and vegetable seeds that are ideal for winter. We offer seeds from different parts of the world.”
The hypermarkets mostly offer seeds of cauliflower, cabbage, mint, eggplant, a wide variety of leafy vegetables and flowers as these are more in demand.
Market sources told Qatar Tribune that the demand for seeds in Qatar has gone up significantly in the recent past. The availability of organic fertilizer at lower rates and relocation of an increasing number of families to villas with sprawling campuses in Doha has given a further boost to the seeds market.
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09/08/2020
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