(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Doha: The Ministry of Municipalities and Environment (MME), in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), have launched "Qatar Farms" programme to support local products.
Assistant Undersecretary for Agriculture Affairs & Fisheries at the MME, Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani said that the launch of "Qatar Farms" is to support the local agricultural produce, which are fresh and of better quality than imported ones.
Four big supermarkets - Al-Meera, Carrefour, Lulu and Family Food Center - are participating in the programme.
He pointed out that high quality local vegetables like tomato, cucumber, squash, pepper, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli and herbs will be available in the participating supermarkets at a reasonable price for consumers.
"Through these programmes, we are trying to reduce the interference of intermediaries in the process of selling local agricultural products, so that both farmers and consumers benefit," the official said, pointing out that the availability of local products has led to almost 50 per cent reduction in price of imported vegetables. During last month about 300 tonnes of Qatari agricultural products have been sold throughout the country.
Sheikh Faleh said that there are various investment opportunities in the agricultural sector for the private sector, while establishment of a new marketing centre for conservation, storage and packaging of Qatari agricultural products is underway.
He noted that the MME is working on plans to extend the local production season to 12 months instead of 9 months.
MEc also played a prominent role in launching several initiatives aimed at boosting national production and supporting factories, entrepreneurs and companies. The Ministry launched "National Product" initiatives in cooperation with major commercial and consumer complexes. The Ministry has also cooperated with the Bidaya Center and Al Meera Consumer Company to expand the National Product initiative through a partnership that provides the opportunity for emerging local companies to showcase and market their food at the largest consumer stores.
MENAFN1403201800630000ID1096593657
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.