Doha, December 11 (QNA) - The State of Qatar has made great strides in self-sufficiency from the agricultural production with its both plant and animal sectors, in addition to providing high sufficiency rates from agriculture through drawing up the appropriate national plans and strategies that enhance this goal, and contributes to achieving food security and fulfilling the state's requirement.

However, to achieve these goals, the State of Qatar has been keen to increase the local product and raise its efficiency in accordance with the criteria that associated food health and safety with a highly competitive quality to fulfil the consumer's requirements, and simultaneously enhance the competitive capabilities of the national products, especially in the local market within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030.

Within this framework, the Ministry of Municipality inaugurated the squares of the local agricultural product in 2012, in pursuit of bolstering its efforts that aim to provide food security and to help the farmers, livestock farms owners and fishermen increase the production.

The number and operation of these squares have been expanded until this moment to 5 squares in each of the following areas, namely Mazrooah, Al Khor, Al Dakhira, Al Wakrah, Al Shamal and Al Sheehaniya, along with the keenness of the Department of Agricultural Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality to start the early season of some of these areas and extend the season of the others, which have contributed to increasing the production, especially during this period where the State of Qatar is hosting the world cup.

In his exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Director of Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality Youssef Khaled Al-Khulaifi revealed that the agricultural production from local vegetables has increased from 22,000 tons to roughly 35,000 tons during November and December 2022, which represents 60 percent compared to the same period last year, pointing out that multiple Qatari farms have contributed to providing food commodities, where production has commenced early during this period for certain cultivars of local vegetables, which have subsequently raised the production yield during the aforementioned period, in conjunction with Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Al-Khulaifi pointed to the great and constant evolution witnessed by the squares of the local agricultural product, indicating that the department has been keen to open their season in early time starting from November 3,2022, with the operation experience of Mazrooah square during whole year, in addition to Al Dakhira, Al Wakrah, Al Shamal squares that are working daily during the period of world cup tournament, pointing out that the data that were monitored during November 2022, after the construction of the local agricultural product squares have demonstrated an increase in the quantity of the offered vegetables with 33 percent, reaching 1067 tons compared to 800 tons for the same period of the previous season, adding that such squares that have been established by the Ministry of Municipality since 2012 are the most critical marketing outlets for farmers who offer and sell their products directly to the consumers with affordable prices and without brokers.

With respect to the vetting procedures conducted on the plant consignments received at the state's ports before and during the tournament, the Director of Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality stated that the number of agricultural quarantine inspectors has been increased with150 percent to ensure work progress and finalize the transactions in a timely manner to keep pace with the anticipated increase in consignments, which is 60 present compared to the last year, pointing out that all these procedures are accomplished via a number of agricultural quarantine offices operating around the clock in four customs ports, namely Abu Samra, Hamad and Al Ruwais ports and HIAs cargo terminal, in addition to inspecting the consignments and parcels received via the General Post Office Building and Doha Port, as per request to further ensure their compliance with the health and phytosanitary requirements in pursuit of preserving the plant wealth of the State of Qatar.

For his part, the CEO and Agrico farm owner Nasser Ahmed al Khalaf noted the big turnout received by the local and imported agricultural products through Qatar's hosting of this global sporting event.

In similar statement to (QNA), Nasser Ahmed al Khalaf said that although the production in the local farms reached its peak during this period, along with the increase in the local product over the consumption rate and usually in some agricultural products, however, during the tournament, a huge turnout has been observed on all locally produced vegetables and subsequently most of them have been consumed, even for the products imported from abroad, assigning it to the opening of markets that have led to the increase of competition in quality and prices, which helped the consumer obtain high-quality products with affordable prices.

He pointed out that the squares of the local agricultural product have offered an opportunity for the consumers to reap the fruit directly from the farm without brokers or commission to purchase fresh products, which contributed to optimizing the marketing style, reducing vegetable waste, optimizing production quality and highlighting the products of Qatari farms owners.
In addition, previous data of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have underscored the stabilization of numerous commodities during the tournament period, adding that some prices have been remarkably reduced, such as vegetables in conjunction with their seasonal production, in addition to the efforts exerted by the State of Qatar to support the provision of the national products in the local markets.

The agricultural sector in Qatar enjoys a special significance in the policies and orientations of Qatar owing to its social and economic dimensions that received further attention until the contribution to the growth domestic product (GDP) has become large and appreciated. In addition, the agricultural and livestock sector appears to have received ample share of upward growth, based on the great interest it received in Qatar, as the sector entrusted with achieving food security, and for being one of the most critical priorities of the state during the current and coming period, as the latest data confirm that it is both plant and animal has succeeded in achieving great momentums on the track of sustainable development and achieving self-sufficiency, especially after an annual support of QAR 70 million allocated over a period of five years, with the aim of stimulating agricultural, livestock and fish production and marketing agricultural products, to attain self-sufficiency in crops by 70 percent by 2023.

As a result of this support, the agricultural sector, specially the plant segment, has achieved an increase in the investment of the protected areas with 28 percent during the period from 2019 until 2021, after it increased from 520 hectares to 666 hectares, which demonstrated the increase of the vegetable production with 11 percent during the same period.

The agricultural strategy in the State of Qatar is fixated on the expansion of the plant agricultural and livestock products, such as vegetables, dates, red meats, poultry, eggs, fish, dairy and green fodder, with the necessary observation of natural resources conservation in the country, and ensure good exploitation, which has primarily led to the amplification of the local production from vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, table eggs and animal feed, by over 400 percent in one year, where the state of Qatar places special importance on food control, in terms of health and quality, in a way that guarantees raising the quality and safety levels of food products. (QNA)