Twenty months back, Qatar was importing most of the foodstuff it required from some of the countries in the region. All this changed after June 2017 when the blockade was imposed on Doha by the four Arab countries. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement of blockade, Qatar government bodies and local companies were quick to act and find new trade routes and partners to import all essentials, including foodstuff, without causing any difficulties to the people residing in the state.
At the same time, the authorities were also framing policies, which will put in motion a plan to attain self-sufficiency in various sectors. This has worked so well that in a short span of time one of the dairy firms in Qatar has exported its first batch of products to Afghanistan and Baladna is expected to export to more international markets in the near future.
The fact that prior to June 2017 Qatar used to import nearly 98 percent of its dairy products make this a remarkable achievement.
The local firms have more or less fully penetrated the market and are now looking at exports is a great success story, which underlines the commitment and support provided by the stakeholders to the industry.
The various projects launched by ministries and private companies has already increased food production including fish, vegetables, red meat, eggs and shrimps. There are efforts to shore up productions in the months to come to reach self-sufficiency in all these food items.
There are projects launched by Ministry of Municipality and Environment that is expected to help increase the production of fish from the current 74 percent to 90 percent, vegetables from 24 to 70, red meat from 18 to 30 and eggs from 28 to 70 by 2023. The local production of fresh milk has already achieved 106 percent self-sufficiency.
All this shows how an adverse situation can be turned into one’s advantage and with proper planning and correct policies many things can be achieved. This is where Qatar and its leadership needs to be lauded as they helped the private sectors to rise up and achieve a lot with the help of official bodies.
The export will not be restricted to food products as many international companies are evincing interest in setting up production centres in Qatar and take advantage of the location and solid infrastructure Doha offers to start exporting their products in the region.
In a few years Qatar could become the trade hub of the region and home to state-of-the-art companies. The last twenty months proves that it is just a matter of time.
