Qatar a regional agri hub, says Italian envoy

Qatar is now an agricultural hub within the region, allowing many companies to operate and expand their businesses, Italian ambassador Alessandro Prunas has said.“It’s not just a local market that is interesting, but also the positioning of Qatar as a logistical hub, as a platform to reach other markets in the region,” he observed.Prunas was speaking on the sidelines of the 9th Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ) and the 3rd Qatar International Environmental Exhibition (EnviroteQ), which conclude today (March 14) at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) – Trade Promotion Office of the Italian embassy is participating in the event, hosting five companies from the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, “Federunacoma”, at a 120sq m pavillion.The ambassador said that Qatar is a promising market that is both a local market and a platform for the region, which is “a very important aspect to be analysed for Italian companies”.“Qatar is a small but ambitious country, and it is amazing that it is now exporting dairy products,” Prunas said. “This tells you that magnitude of the ambition of the Qatar authorities when it comes to agricultural self-sufficiency … and (Italy) has the technical solutions, we have lots of expertise, we would gladly trade with Qatar and expand our exports here.”The envoy noted that Italy has been renowned for its organic farming (possibly the largest production in Europe) – an expertise it is currently sharing with Qatar, and “we are more than willing to continue sharing it with them”.Prunas said that Italy has many research programmes with Qatar and has successfully linked their scientific institutions with Qatar Foundation and the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (Qeeri).He added that the Italians have been in contact with Qeeri “about six months now, they already have some talks with Italian research institutes, and the aim is to help finding environmental solutions (that are also) also solutions for agriculture”.About AgriteQ and EnviroteQ, Prunas said that the exhibitions have become greener, bigger, and continuously growing – “a clear indication of how much (Qatar is) interested in agriculture and environmental solutions, and it looks very promising and we will surely be continuing partnering with Qatar on this matter”.