Katara Kicks Off 6th Mahaseel Festival

Doha, March 07 (QNA) - The activities of the 6th edition of Mahaseel Festival kicks off Monday organized by the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) at Katara's southern area in cooperation with the Agricultural Affairs Department of the Ministry of Municipality and will run until March 12. The opening of the festival was attended by General Manager of Katara Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality Yousuf Khalid Al Khulaifi, Chairman of Organizing Committee of the festival Salman Al Nuaimi, a number of Qatari farm owners, and representatives of participating national companies. The festival will be attended by 38 companies, including 25 local farms and seven national companies specialized in poultry, meat, and dairy, and seven nurseries, in addition to six places for the sale of popular foods, and will run until Mar. 12 and will then continue every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until May 15 from 9 am to 9 pm. On this occasion, General Manager of Katara Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti praised the cultural district's keenness, through this festival, to support and promote the culture of consuming local agricultural and food products that meet the highest quality and competitive standards, praising the Qatari farms and national companies that display various food items in Mahaseel Festival, which will contribute to achieving shoppers' turnout and thus the success of the festival. The General Manager of Katara also indicated that the Mahaseel Festival confirms Katara's continued support and encouragement to farmers to market their products, noting that Katara has provided farmers with a forum to exchange experiences, which will contribute to the development of local agricultural production. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality Yousuf Khalid Al Khulaifi said that Mahaseel Festival is held in cooperation between Katara and the Ministry of Municipality, stressing the ministry's keenness to participate and coordinate with Katara, for a number of reasons, including Katara's status as a distinct tourist destination, in addition to providing all the requirements of the offer and its method. Al Khulaifi added that local products are of high quality, pointing out that the Mahaseel Festival is a platform for marketing these products, and pointed out that national products are available and many vegetables, dates, poultry, meat, milk, and dairy products. In turn, Chairman of Organizing Committee of the festival Salman Al Nuaimi said that the 6th edition of Mahaseel Festival confirms its success and importance to both the product and the consumer, pointing out that within the framework of adhering to the precautionary measures followed in the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all workshops and artistic activities that accompanied the market each year, including children's games are canceled and limited to the buying and selling process. He indicated that the festival's organizing committee is keen to adhere to the precautionary measures followed and to adhere to the instructions of the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), including social distancing, for a safe shopping process. Since the early hours of its opening, the festival has seen large numbers of visitors, particularly with many varieties of fresh vegetables, dates, and honey, sheep meat, cows, calves, eggs, poultry, milk and its derivatives, as well as platforms of 8 nurseries showcasing their products of flowers, roses, and ornamental plants, where participants compete in marketing methods, presentations, and packaging. Festival organizers are counting on the festival to achieve its objectives and highlight the importance of diverse and growing agricultural and food products and contribute to the marketing of Qatari farm products, which have achieved their wide fame and good reputation at competitive prices, in light of the continued support for agriculture, local food production and livestock, in an effort to achieve sustainability in this vital economic sector, provide self-sufficiency and support food security in the country, as well as increase the size and quality of local production. (QNA)