Mexico looks to prospect investment and co-operation with Qatar

Mexico is looking to prospect investment and co-operation with Qatar by streamlining the mutual relations, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Victor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula has said."The relationship between the two countries is showing an upward trend in various sectors and we are looking to further strengthen it by initiating steps to encourage cooperation and knowledge sharing,” Arámbula told Gulf Times during an exclusive interview."Mexico’s agriculture sector is growing while integrating many innovations to fight climate change, ensure sustainability and increase production. Several forestry projects and agricultural initiatives are being implemented across the country to help the rural area grow. The country has left an impressive model in agriculture, especially in developing the arid lands. These models can be adopted by Qatar and GCC countries as a sustainable practice to achieve the development goals in the agriculture sector,” Arámbula said noting that Mexico held 12th rank in food production with with a quantity of up to 301.3mn tonnes of production last year. The country, he said, is one of 17 highly diverse countries, being home to about 10 per cent of the world's registered species and it has established exporting relations with 190 countries across the world.Citing sustainability is among the top priorities of his country, Arámbula said efforts are put into implementing effective water planning models. "This has become an essential part of water resources management and we have developed strategies that are worth implementing in GCC with water scarcity,”Mexico has implemented six priority social programmes to promote farming under the supervision of Arámbula. These include fertilisers for wellbeing, production for wellbeing, guaranteed prices, the programme to provide direct economic aid to fishermen (Bienpesca), rural supply and social supply of milk, through which support has been provided directly to vulnerable families, benefiting more than 2mn small farmers, cattle ranchers and coastal fishermen every year.The Mexican minister hailed Qatar for promoting sustainability pointing out that ventures like Expo 2023 Doha contribute to the global efforts to materialise the idea of a green future. The Mexico pavilion at Expo Doha highlights Mexixo’s sustainability and bioeconomy initiatives and the country’s approach towards making use of technological resources.Qatar’s investment in sports also earned praise from Arámbula, who said the country showed the world its ability to successfully host mega events while making FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 a memorable event. "The country transformed the mega tournament into a reality and made it a unique event while leaving a lasting legacy,” he said.