Bright prospects for agriculture investment in Qatar

The Ministry of Municipality has organised a workshop on the agriculture innovations and their role in the sustainability of natural resources.Conducted in co-operation with the Hassad Food Company, the event attended by a number of officials and specialists was aimed at enhancing the use of smart agriculture solutions to achieve food security and sustain the natural resources of Qatar.The workshop was part of marking the Arab Agriculture Day.The ministry also co-operates with the Mahaseel Company for Marketing and Agricultural Services, providing a platform for local farms to market their products.There are also five yards that operate during the agriculture season, with participating farms selling their products directly to the consumers without having to bear extra marketing charges.The ministry has introduced various initiatives and projects to support local farmers and encourage investment in agriculture.The ministry helps farm-owners to use sophisticated systems engaging the latest technology, such as using treated sewage water to produce animal fodder and reducing the use of underground water.The ministry’s Agriculture Affairs Department has also distributed a number of regular and cooled greenhouses to many registered farms as part of the efforts to reduce the consumption of irrigation water and enhance agriculture productivity throughout the different seasons of the year.The department also maintained another project to distribute sophisticated irrigation networks in the open fields, which started in August 2022 to increase the planted land space using drip irrigation systems.The project targeted 400 farms throughout three years until this year.This irrigation method would reduce the consumption of water by up to 70%.Accordingly, modern irrigation networks have been introduced to the largest percentage of open fields, amounting to more than 89%.The ministry has so far distributed 4,260 greenhouses at various local farms across the country, including 1,666 cooled greenhouses, 100 for hydroponics, and 2,484 regular greenhouses, according to the recent statistics.This has considerably contributed towards increasing the local production of vegetables by almost 12%, in addition to improving the quality and efficiency of the production processes.The ministry also continues to give farmers technical support and expert advice to help them upgrade their farms and improve their productivity while reducing costs, as part of a strategy to increase their income and encourage them expand their investment.The ministry regularly provides local registered farms with subsidised seeds, fertilisers, insecticides, and other necessities of production.In addition, farmers are offered services around the year at nominal charges, including the preparation of the fields for agriculture and renting of agriculture equipment.Due to the strong government support and encouragement for agriculture and local farmers, investment in this area has increased over the recent years and expected to hit $622mn this year, with the recent number of local farms exceeding 600.