Qatar's Ministry of Municipality: 10th AgriteQ Launches Wednesday

Doha, March 13 (QNA) - The Ministry of Municipality announced Monday the launch of the activities of the 10th Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ) 2023 from the 15-19 March at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, with the participation of more than 55 countries. This came during the press conference held by the Ministry to present the program and activities of the exhibition, which gains its importance from being a strategic platform for exploring new horizons for the advancement of the Qatari agricultural sector, as the backbone of food security that comes at the forefront of the strategic priorities to achieve self-sufficiency. In this context, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Exhibition, and Director of the Public Parks Department at the Ministry of Municipality Eng. Mohammed Ali Al Khoury said that the keenness of the State of Qatar to organize the exhibition confirms the increasing interest of the Country in the agricultural sector in recent years, with the aim of achieving great leaps in local production to increase self-sufficiency rates and achieve food security, especially after the challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and the interruption in supply chains around the world, which made achieving self-sufficiency a very vital matter for various countries. He added during the press conference that the exhibition is a direct gateway to accessing the latest global technological innovations that support the national trend towards expanding agricultural production to meet local demand for food products, according to the objectives of the "comprehensive plan for food security". Al Khoury pointed out to the success of the exhibition during the past sessions, which had the greatest impact on raising self-sufficiency rates of vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. For his part, Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Director of the Department of Agricultural Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality Youssef Khaled Al Khulaifi, said that the State of Qatar has made remarkable achievements in the field of developing the agricultural sector, in light of the insightful vision and directives of the wise leadership, which placed development of natural resources, in particular agriculture, at the top of the national priorities to achieve self-sufficiency and achieve food security, with a focus on adopting innovative policies, strategies and technologies that serve environmental sustainability. He indicated that the State of Qatar works on promoting optimal investment in technology, research and development, and food control as basic pillars for raising the volume and quality of agricultural and animal production in safe and sustainable ways, in line with the objectives of the "National Development Strategy of the State of Qatar", which aims to increase the proportion of local production of livestock to 30 percent, and fish to 65 percent, in a step in support of "Qatar National Vision 2030". During the press conference, Al Khulaifi pointed out that the organization of the exhibition comes within the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Municipality to support the agricultural sector in the country, in cooperation with Mahaseel Company, with the aim of enhancing the value of the local vegetable product. In a related context, AgriteQ Organizing Committee announced the organization of a scientific conference accompanying the exhibition, which will constitute a scientific, cultural and research platform aimed at exchanging information, experiences and scientific data specialized in food security, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, as well as discussing the impact of the environment and climate change on food security. Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the exhibition Dr. Mohammad Saif Al Kuwari , said that about 50 speakers will participate in the conference to present 50 scientific research papers over a period of 5 days, indicating that the number of attendees registered to date at the conference site has reached about 1,500 participants. During the press conference, Al Kuwari reviewed the work program of the scientific conference, as the first day will be devoted to initiatives, opportunities and projects in the agricultural sector around the world. While the second day will be devoted to studies and research, and reviewing scientific papers from the Ministry of Municipality, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, companies operating in the agricultural sector, and some scientists at national universities and research centres. The third day of the conference will discuss home farming and the "Gharsa" initiative. The fourth day will include workshops on raising awareness of food safety, and reviewing the National Food Security Strategy 2023-2030. While the fifth and final day will be devoted to agricultural technology and agricultural services, in addition to other topics that include innovation to confront climate change, environmental preservation. It is worth noting that the exhibition will host specialized display areas, which will present to the public its production of fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as the honey and dates market, as well as holding daily cooking shows, to prepare a wide range of traditional Qatari dishes using local products. (QNA)