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Minister of Municipality and Environment and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie has underlined that Qatar seeks to build a high-performance food system in the most sustainable way, and enhance and improve the economy to become diversified and competitive.
He said it aims to improve living standards, while achieving compatibility and harmony between economic, social and environmental development, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
In a recorded speech to the preparatory meeting for the United Nations Food Systems Summit, currently in session in Rome, the minister emphasized the successful food system in Qatar, thanks to the concerted efforts and cooperation between a number of sectors and a wide range of stakeholders.
He said national committee that brings together all stakeholders from the government and the private sectors coordinates the implementation of the national strategy for food security, where consumers, traders, food manufacturers and producers, researchers, students and policy makers constitute a solid foundation for the development and implementation of the national food security initiatives.
The minister highlighted Qatar’s efforts to improve food systems in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, through projects and programmes that have been implemented to strengthen the food system in the country to confront food insecurity at the regional and global levels, and to meet future aspirations and ambitions.
Despite the challenges facing Qatar as a result of the harsh climatic conditions and the scarcity of its natural resources, he said Qatar achieved 100 percent of the supply of basic foodstuffs through the implementation of various initiatives based on the pillars of the national food security strategy, ensuring the availability of foodstuffs, their quality and ability to bear its costs on a daily basis, and at all times including times of crisis and emergency.
He added that Qatar has also worked to increase the capacity of local production and raise the percentage of self-sufficiency while ensuring the protection and improvement of national natural resources for current and future generations, by increasing local production of fresh vegetables, dairy, poultry and fish products, thus achieving 100 percent self-sufficiency for some goods, compared to not more than 20% not long ago.
He said sustainable fish farming projects have been implemented to ease the pressure on the local fish stock, manage it in a sustainable manner and improve fishing levels, as well as reducing groundwater depletion through the total transformation of green fodder production by treated wastewater.
A farmer’s support programme has also been implemented to improve and enhance the viability of local production. Work is also under way to prepare and implement policies to reduce food waste and losses, in line with one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals which aims to reduce food waste by 50 percent by 2030.
The minister underlined that food quality and safety is at the top of the state’s priorities. Qatar will soon establish a food safety authority that will follow modern approaches based on risk assessment, inspection, control and protection of food standards.
Meanwhile, the Qatar National Research Fund focuses on developing research and innovation in the field of food security with the aim of developing sustainable solutions that benefit Qatar and the world.
He also pointed to the completion of a national food security analytics platform that has been able to collect and integrate all data related to food security under a single digital dashboard available to decision makers in Qatar. The platform will contribute to the formulation of data-driven and fact-based policies and interventions.
The minister stressed the importance of the international community combined efforts to fortify the food security system through the development and implementation of regulatory frameworks that prevent any country from being deprived of food supply in times of conflict.
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27/07/2021
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