Despite not being geographically located in one of the “most fertile” places on earth nor placed in an area with an abundance of rainfall, Qatar has nevertheless continued to take giant and enviable strides in ensuring food security for its populace through strategic planning, scientific innovations, and wise investments over the years.
The latest news about the completion of the QR1.6bn project for developing Strategic Food Security Facilities (SFSF) at Hamad Port is a welcome development, and the project will doubtlessly further boost Qatar’s food security efforts. The vital project spread over an area of approximately 53 hectares, comes in line with the Qatar National Food Security Strategy and will contribute to enhancing the State’s reserve capabilities, as well as securing, strengthening, and developing the strategic stock system for food, consumer, and catering goods.
Just like in previous years, the country made remarkable achievements in lifting its self-sufficiency rate in some fresh food production, including vegetables, livestock, and fish, in 2022. Many projects were launched by the Ministry of Municipality under the Qatar National Food Security Strategy 2018-2023 to increase production of local vegetables and table eggs to 70 percent, fish to 90 percent, shrimp to 100 percent, and red meat to 30 percent of total domestic demand by 2023.
According to a statement from the Food Security Department at the Ministry of Municipality earlier this year, the self-sufficiency rate in the production of local vegetables increased from about 20 percent in 2017 to reach about 46 percent in 2022, an increase of about 130 percent, while in livestock production, the percentage of self-sufficiency in milk and its products increased from only 28 percent in 2017 to 100 percent, which means that the sufficiency rate has quadrupled over the last five years.
Also, self-sufficiency in the production of fresh broiler chicken also increased from 50 percent in 2017 to 100 percent in 2022, and table eggs from 14 percent in 2017 to 36 percent in 2022, with an increase of more than 157 percent. The self-sufficiency rate of red meat in the country increased from 13 percent in 2017 to reach about 18 percent, an increase of about 38 percent. The food security strategy aims to stabilize the rate of both dairy and fresh broiler chicken at 100 percent and raise the self-sufficiency rate for eggs to 70 percent and red meat to 30 percent by 2023.
While the government is not resting on its oars in further ensuring that Qatar stands tall among the comity of nations in food security, it also behooves the private sector to increasingly play its part in complementing the government’s efforts in this regard. Qatar emerging as one of the leading exporters of agriculture is not a pipe dream but one that is doable and achievable anytime soon. Let the agricultural revolution continue.
