Hassad has plan in place to ensure Qatar's food security

Hassad Food Company has developed a rapid intervention plan to maintain Qatar's food security in light of the ongoing Russia -Ukraine war, the company's CEO Eng. Mohamed al-Sada has said.Russia and Ukraine are among the largest exporters of food grains in the world.In an interview, al-Sadah said Hassad Food Company can supply all types of grains and oilseeds from several sources, including North America, South America, Turkey, Australia, and the Black Sea region.He said Hassad has successful models in providing all the local market needs of basic foodstuffs during crises such as the blockade in 2017 and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.About the strategic plans that have been put in place to cover any possible shortage of food grains and oilseeds in the local market due to the war in Ukraine, he said Hassad, along with the authorities concerned in the country, continually monitors the reserves of basic commodities and as soon as there is any decrease in the stock is immediately replenished through the company's investments and its international relations.Al-Sadah stated that there is an effort to maintain a stock of basic commodities for at least 6 months, at all times.Regarding the strategic grain stores in Al-Wukair, he said currently there are 20 ground stores, divided between warehouses for wheat and barley.Their total capacity is 250,000 tons, and Hassad is also working on expanding the warehouses to take the capacity to exceed 300,000 tons.In 2021, Hassad produced more than 3.6mn bags of barley, in addition to supplying nearly 50,000 tons of barley to livestock breeders.Regarding the prices , he said in general food prices during the past two years have witnessed a continuous rise. In this context, Hassad will ensure that the supply and shipping operations are managed in a highly efficient manner to maintain relatively low prices, he said.In response to a question about Hassad's investments , Eng. Mohamed al-Sadah said: "Internationally, Hassad has invested in international institutions and companies operating in the grain, meat, poultry, livestock and fish sectors, in a number of countries such as Australia, Canada, Turkey, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan."Referring to local investments, he said the company owns a number of subsidiaries, such as Aswaq for managing food establishments, Mahaseel for Marketing and Agricultural Services, Arab Qatari Agricultural Production Company (QTFA), Arab Qatari for Poultry Production (Al-Waha), Aalaf Qatar Company, Strategic Grain Stores and the National Food Co. (NAFCO), in addition to Hassad's investment in Baladna and Widam Food companies.About the reasons for reorganising the company's investments in Australia, he said Hassad made huge expansions in its agricultural investments in 2018, to form a larger and more diversified investment portfolio in Australia. So, Hassad investments moved to Paraway Pastoral Company Limited (Paraway), which is one of the largest owners of agricultural and food properties in Australia, which currently manages more than 4.4mn hectares.The company's investment portfolio is divided into -- agricultural sector 21%, poultry 23%, meat 21%, supply and logistics 12%, grains 14%, dairy 7% and fish 2%.Talking about initiatives launched to support Qatari farmers, al-Sadah pointed out that in 2018, Hassad established the Mahaseel for Marketing and Agricultural Services as one of its subsidiaries to market their produce, and provided a number of services to motivate them to increase the volume of production and raise quality.Mahaseel currently provides services to about 400 local farms, including marketing 30 types of vegetables through more than 100 outlets in the country. In 2021, it succeeded in marketing nearly 19mn kg of local vegetables in the Qatari market.About filling the shortfall in the production of vegetables in summer, the CEO of Hassad Food Company referred to the investment through the Arab Qatari Agricultural Production Company (QTFA), which owns a farm to produce vegetables, extending over an area of 200 hectares in the Al Sheehaniya area, adding that QTFA currently produces about 7,000 tons (28 varieties) of vegetables, and markets them locally. He also pointed out that when temperatures rise in the summer , QTFA uses different agricultural methods, including refrigerated and non-refrigerated greenhouses, as well as high-tech greenhouses. In 2021, it activated modern irrigation systems, increased the areas of agricultural land covered instead of open fields, in addition to developing a number of farms (farming without soil) equipped with the latest irrigation technologies.