Qatar’s National Food Security Strategy has been successful in strengthening the local food supply chain and boosting production and storage capacity, Director of the Food Security Department at the Ministry of Municipality, Dr. Masoud Jarallah Al Marri has assured.
According to the official, self-sufficiency in producing five basic types of vegetables has reached 46% thanks to local farms. The goal, however, is to reach 70% of the market demand in less than a decade.
Meanwhile, the country has hit the 70% mark in dates and 75% in fish, he added.
However, Qatar is now 100% self-sufficiency in fresh poultry and milk production, though consumption is not high in demand. The official explained that only 20% of fresh chicken is consumed, while the remaining 80% is imported frozen chicken.
Local production of table eggs now meets 55% of national demand, he added. By next year, the number is expected to reach 70% thanks to the strategy used to target production.On the other hand, Qatar still needs to make efforts to become self-sufficient in red meat production. The latest figures reveal that red meat has reached only 20%, while the rest is imported from different countries around the world. To increase production, authorities have launched projects for fattening livestock in coordination with the private sector to increase the production to 30% soon, Al Marri stated.
The Qatar National Food Security Strategy 2018–2023 aims to deliver high-quality food at reasonable rates through domestic production, strategic storage, and reliable import sources.
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