Qatar records remarkable growth in vegetable production: official

Qatar has achieved remarkable growth in terms of self-sufficiency in vegetable production, with an increase in the volume of produce.Dr Masoud Jarallah al-Marri, director of the Ministry of Municipality’s Food Security Department and chairman of the Executive Council of the Islamic Organisation for Food Security, told Qatar TV that the self-sufficiency rate for vegetable production in Qatar has reached 46%, compared to 20% in 2017."The hike in the volume of production is the result of plans and programmes undertaken by government agencies, led by the departments concerned at the Ministry of Municipality,” he said on Qatar TV’s Hayatna programme. "Also, the efforts of Qatari farms have played a role in increasing production in response to the call of the nation.”The official explained that what has been achieved is the result of joint efforts between the public and private sectors, noting that the authorities responsible for providing support have done their part."The farms followed the ministry’s plans. Mahaseel, which was established by the State, solved a major problem faced by the farms in terms of sales and access to the market,” he said.Al-Marri noted that the company took products from the farms and worked on sorting, packaging and marketing them appropriately, allowing the to farms focus on production.This contributed to achieving a jump in vegetable production, he added.With regard to dairy production and its fresh derivatives, al-Marri explained that in 2017, at the beginning of the implementation of the National Strategy for Food Security, the self-sufficiency rate was about 28%."We have now reached 100%,” he said."The absorption of excess quantities was done through the manufacture of dairy-based derivatives. This created a kind of diversification in production,” he added.Further, the official said work is being done to strike a balance between production capacity and the issuing of licences to establish factories, in order to achieve the strategic goal of food security.With regard to meat, al-Marri said the consumption pattern in Qatar is 30% fresh and 70% frozen.