Doha: Director of the Food Security Department at the Ministry of Municipality, Dr. Masoud Jarallah Al Marri, emphasized that the National Food Security Strategy 2030 serves as a comprehensive roadmap to enhance sustainability within Qatar's food system amid global challenges.
According to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Al Marri highlighted that the strategy consists of initiatives focused on advancing local production and boosting its efficiency through modern and sustainable technologies. These include fish farming projects, the enhancement of red meat and vegetable production, and support for the private sector to drive initiatives that promote self-sufficiency.
Dr. Al Marri outlined that the new food security strategy is designed to establish a resilient and sustainable food system through collaboration with stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. The strategy is built upon three main pillars: developing local production and markets, enhancing strategic stocks and warning systems, and promoting international trade and investment.
Specifically, the development of local production and markets targets products such as vegetables, red meat, fish, and table eggs, leveraging modern techniques like hydroponic and vertical farming systems. This includes providing support to farmers and producers by sharing knowledge and guidance to optimize production efficiency and resource utilization.
For strategic stocks and warning systems, the strategy focuses on guaranteeing food availability year-round, even during crises, by improving strategic reserves and incorporating agricultural inputs. International trade and investment efforts aim to diversify trade sources and improve supply chains, transport, and storage infrastructure to maintain consistent supply at reasonable prices.
Dr. Al Marri emphasized the importance of private sector partnerships, which are integral to the strategy's implementation. Initiatives include encouraging protected agriculture techniques and offering local companies opportunities in fish farming and red meat production.
He further mentioned strategic inventory management involving private sector contributions in storing and recycling food commodities, supporting local companies in international market expansion, and diversifying import sources to achieve sustainability.
The strategy also highlights fish farming projects with a targeted production capacity of 4,000 tons annually, using advanced technologies suitable for the local environment. It advocates for modern irrigation systems to enhance water use efficiency through pilot projects and technology transition programs.
In relation to the regional trade center establishment, Dr. Al Marri explained the project involves developing Qatar's commercial infrastructure, leveraging Hamad Port's facilities to improve food storage, processing, and shipping competitiveness in global markets. This project is a collaborative effort with the private sector and international companies.
Dr. Al Marri noted the Ministry's support programs for local production, covering inputs for farmers, fishermen, and livestock breeders, aligning with the National Food Security Strategy 2030. They are developing mechanisms to link support to production outcomes, enhancing efficiency.
He also discussed challenges encountered in the 2018-2023 strategy, such as limited natural resources and extreme climatic conditions, underscoring the need for innovative solutions to sustain progress.
Looking ahead, efforts are centered on increasing local production flexibility and self-sufficiency levels for strategic products. During the previous plan, self-sufficiency was achieved for fresh poultry and dairy products. The future focus will be on enhancing production of vegetables, red meat, fresh fish, and table eggs.
The strategy aims to expand strategic stock coverage for basic commodities to last three to eight months, depending on the product type, while establishing a central alert system for food security to monitor stocks and analyze global risks, ensuring rapid crisis response.