On 13 March 2022, Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) delegation while proceeding an official visit to Qatar, had a meeting with Widam Food and Hassad Food Companies. Widam Food Company was represented by its Operations Manager, Mr.Shane Kidd. The company as the biggest supplier of livestock and manufacturer of fresh, chilled, and frozen meat, plays an essential role in securing the supply of quality meat products along with upholding stringent customer standards. At the meeting IOFS Director General H.E. Mr Yerlan Baidaulet gave an overview of IOFS foundation as the OIC specialized institution, IOFS Strategic Framework and IOFS Strategy 2031 with particular attention given to the IOFS humanitarian programs and Afghanistan Food Security Programme. Special attention was paid to the IOFS Sheep Farming Fund project based on IOFS Livestock Ecosystem and aimed to develop an efficient and sustainable sheep industry with potential to supply quality meat across the OIC countries.
The sides discussed areas of mutual interests and agreed to explore concrete steps in collaboration, particularly through the involvement of private sector enterprises to explore opportunities on activities and projects in supporting meat manufacturing agri-food trade and investors in the intra-OIC countries through the IFPA’s multilateral private sector platform.
The second part of the meeting during the Qatar International Agricultural and Environmental Exhibition involved the Hassad food Company - Qatar’s premier investor to the food and agri-business sectors, wholly owned subsidiary of Qatar Investment authority (QIA). Hassad Food was represented by the Vice President, Mr Ali Hilal Al-Kuwari, and Executive Director Corporate, Jose Angel Iralde. Parties discussed practical ways of realizing profitable and sustainable investment and business objectives and expressed their strong commitment to developing a collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Following the day program, the IOFS delegation participated on a hybrid conference embraced 115 participants and titled “Investment attractiveness of the agrarian sector of Kazakhstan. Scientific approach in shaping the investment climate” hosted by the JSC National Agrarian Science Educational Center (NASEC), The Kazakh National Agrarian University and the IOFS, where IOFS Programme Manager Mr. Dastan Zholdassov delivered a special speech during which he conducted a very informative and resourceful presentation named “Investment Opportunities with IOFS Group under Vision 2031” with special focus on the IOFS Sheep Farming Fund project. Upon completion of the conference follow up meeting held with representatives of the humanitarian non-governmental Qatar charity organization, parties discussed IOFS humanitarian programs and Afghanistan Food Security Programme, while the common areas of cooperation and participation of the Charity organization within IOFS activities were highlighted.
