Qatar has made significant progress in the area of self-sufficiency in food and vegetable production. Sales of local vegetables have surged over three-fold in the second season of ‘Qatar Farms Program 2019’ compared to the previous season, according to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
The sales of vegetables jumped to 8,226 tonnes in 2019 season compared to 1,969 tonnes in 2018 season, showing an increase of 318 percent. Of the total local vegetable sales in the country, around 20 percent of the vegetables are being sold under this program.
Qatar has attained self sufficiency in some product categories such as poultry, fresh milk and shrimp. The Ministry of Municipality and Environment has stepped up efforts to increase self-sufficiency rate up to 70 percent in vegetable production in the next five years.
To achieve the target, the Ministry is working to allot 34 large plots of lands to private companies and import latest farming technologies to increase the production of existing farms.
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment, in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, had launched Qatar Farms Program last year in collaboration with major commercial outlets including Carrefour, Lulu Hypermarkets, Al Meera and Family Food Center.
The program also helped local vegetables to compete with imported one breaking the monopoly of imported products. The rising sale of local vegetables encouraged farmers to increase the production. One of the major achievements of the program is that it helped bring down the prices of vegetables in the local market by creating healthy competition giving more option to consumers. The program served as a platform to introduce the local vegetables and its value as a result these vegetables became first choice for customers.
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment has undertaken many initiatives to develop the agricultural sector through providing support to farms and investors.
Qatar’s locally produced vegetables’ sales surged over 16 percent in December 2018 compared to November 2018 at winter vegetable markets due to increased production of local seasonal vegetables.
The winter vegetable markets operating at Al Mazrouah, Al Khor-Dhakhira, Al Wakrah and Al Shamal sold a total of 870 tonnes of vegetables in December which was an average of 218 tonnes per week.
Rising production and continuous increase in the rate of self-sufficiency confirm that Qatar’s agriculture sector is strong and vibrant.
