(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Advisory Council ordinary weekly session, held yesterday under the chairmanship of HE the Speaker of the Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, praised the government's efforts ensuring food security in the country in the face of the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar by the Saudi-led quartet.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country in June 2017.

The Advisory Council praised the government's efforts to provide basic commodities for citizens and residents and increase high quality agricultural and livestock production and work to ensure food security and achieve self sufficiency.

In its report, the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee recommended to regulate agricultural and livestock production.

The committee also recommended increasing the State's support to Qatari farms and productive food security projects such as providing electricity subsidies, financing and marketing to boost production and achieve self sufficiency.

It also recommended opening global markets for export, encouraging food processing to benefit from agricultural and livestock production and turning it into long-term goods for domestic consumption and export.

After an extensive discussion of the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee supplementary report, the council approved the report and decided to refer its recommendations to the government.

The council reviewed a draft law on combating money laundering and terrorism financing and decided to forward it to the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee to review it and submit a report to the council.

The council discussed the supplementary report of the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee on the request for a general discussion on the national plan for food security.

During the session, HE Speaker al-Mahmoud informed the council about his meeting last Tuesday with the President of the Senate of Burundi, Reverien Ndikuriyo, during which they discussed relations between Qatar and Burundi and ways to develop them especially in the parliamentary field.

They also reviewed a number of topics of common interest.

HE al-Mahmoud also informed the council about the written message he received from the Chairman of House of Representatives in Kazakhstan, Nurlan Nigmatulin. The message was delivered by Kazakhstan's ambassador to Qatar. The message contained an invitation to HE al-Mahmoud to participate in the 4th meeting of the Speakers of Eurasian Countries' Parliaments to be held in Nursultan city, the capital of Kazakhstan, in September.

At the end of the session, the council reviewed the report from its delegation that participated in the 24th session of the Executive Committee and the 4th meeting of the legal group of the executive committee of the Inter-Arab Parliamentary Union, held recently in Cairo.

Meanwhile, yesterday the Advisory Council's Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee held a meeting within the 47th regular session of the Council at the White Palace, under the chairmanship of its Rapporteur HE Nasser bin Rashid bin Saria al-Kaabi.

The committee studied a draft law on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, and decided to complete its study thereon at its next meeting.

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