Qat is problem facing insure of food security in Yemen, says al-Arhabi

SANA'A, June 30 (Saba)- Deputy Premier and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul-Kareem al-Arhabi said on Sunday that Qat cultivation is a problem facing cultivation of food crops in order to insure of the food security in the nation.

In the opening session of a workshop on special policies on qat in Yemen, al-Arhabi
said that the qat cultivation depletes more than 30 percent of waters that should be
used for agriculture.

He called on all to gather efforts to face this problem, wishing that the workshop
could come with positive outcomes to draw a clear strategy to deal with this problem
and to hold second conference on Qat.

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mansor al-Hoshabi said that
the qat cultivation occupies large areas of the agricultural lands, adding that the
Qat is a big challenge facing increase of food crops production.

According to official studies, the qat cultivation centers in five governorates,
Amran, Dhamar, Sana'a, Hajjah and Ibb.

Some 40 participants are taking part in the two-day workshop that would discuss the
problem to come out with clear vision to deal with it to find out solutions and
options to reduce qat cultivation, the organizers said.