Mahaseel Festival marked the opening of its biggest edition yet this month. The festival, in its fifth edition and organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, is a vital part of initiatives by Katara to support government efforts to achieving food security and self-sufficiency which contribute to the realisation of Qatar National Vision 2030.
The 2020 edition is the largest in terms of participation with the rise in the number of participants from 22 stalls last year to 34 this year. Mahaseel has proved the significant role it plays in local agricultural and food production sector as it had become an ideal marketing platform that attracts owners of Qatari farms and national food manufacturing companies to sell their products directly to the consumers at competitive prices.
General Manager of Katara, Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, said that Mahaseel Festival has become an important economic tributary that contributes to supporting the national economy, encourages investment in the agricultural and livestock sector, and stimulates the opening of important productive projects that serve the food security system. The festival has occupied a distinguished position in the calendar of Katara events as one of the annual festivals which plays a vital role in the promotion of local products providing a platform for local farms to reach wider customer base.
In June this year, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, in cooperation with Mahaseel, launched the guarantee programme to support local farmers by signing contracts in advance to purchase their vegetable products for the 2020/2021 season with the aim of setting guaranteed prices for the purchase of local farm products and for farmers to prepare their production plan according to the needs of the market.
It must be mentioned that last year’s edition coincided with the inauguration of the Farmers’ Forum office, a first-of-its-kind in Qatar which plays an important role in the agricultural sector by bringing owners of farms together to exchange experiences, providing workshops and seminars that contribute to the development of local agricultural production, and encouraging investment in agricultural projects.
According to the World Food Security Index, Qatar maintained the first rank in the Arab world, and jumped to the 13th position globally after it was ranked 22 in 2018. This remarkable jump was achieved in just one year, after the adoption of the National Food Security Strategy in 2018. In addition, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment supported farmers in installing many greenhouses some of which had begun production.
These initiatives support the efforts made in achieving food security and self-sufficiency and thereby strengthen the national economy.
