(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Irfan Bukhari |
The Peninsula
To ensure food security in the country, Qatar is enhancing its food storage capacity by implementing a project of building food security facilities and warehouses at Hamad port on an area over half-a- million square metres.
“The project consists of specialised facilities for the processing, manufacturing and refining of rice, raw sugar and edible oils,” said Minister of Municipality H E Dr Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie.
This came in a statement on the occasion of 'Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) Strategic commodities and Food Safety Forum' which began yesterday at Sheraton Hotel.
The Forum, a three-day event, is being organised by the Ministry of Municipality in cooperation with the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) in Doha and it will continue until February 16 (tomorrow).
“We believe in the importance of joint action and fruitful cooperation among the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” the Minister said.
He said that it is also a very important opportunity for consultation and exchange of knowledge and technical expertise to reach recommendations and appropriate measures to ensure the availability of strategic commodities and the development of standards for food quality and safety.
The Minister said that Qatar has attached great importance to ensure food security in the country within its National Vision 2030.
He said that Qatar National Strategy for Food Security (2018-2023) focused on providing basic and strategic food commodities to consumers in Qatar at an appropriate cost, high quality following requirements of Islamic Shariah and international safety standards.
The Minister said that the strategy enabled Qatar to achieve first place in the Arab world and 24th place globally in the Global Food Security Index. He said that the national strategy is based on certain points such as developing and increasing local production of fresh food, taking into account the proper exploitation of natural resources, diversification of foreign trade sources to avoid exposure to any potential risks that may arise in cases of crises and emergencies, and the formation of a strategic storage facilities for essential food items which could be stored for long periods.
In the opening ceremony, IOFS and COMSTECH, Pakistan also announced a Fellowship Program for researchers from the OIC member states in food security discipline. It was announced by IOFS Director General Prof. Yerlan Baidaulet and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General of COMSTECH, who addressed the gathering via video conferencing.
A memorandum of understanding was also signed between IOFS and Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA).
Director-General of IOFS, Prof. Yerlan Baidaulet, lauded Qatar's support for the organisation, calling the governments of Islamic countries to deal with the issue of food scarcity and to use modern technologies to develop basic agricultural commodities such as wheat, rice and cassava by investing further efforts in those crops.
“One of the organisation's programs is to establish an electronic platform that provides training and specialised information, with which the countries of the organisation should focus on the issue of food security and food safety, as well as build successful partnerships in this regard,” he added.
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ahmad Sengendo, addressed the Forum through video conferencing and said,““The forum is important as it provides an opportunity for experts to discuss issues of sustainability of food sources, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak has greatly affected this issue globally.”
He noted the importance of providing food commodities and reducing poverty, to achieve food security in the OIC countries, according to a program for strategic commodities. He explained that the conference on food security and strategic commodities last year in Istanbul set action plans for wheat, rice, and cassava commodities, enabling the countries that produce them to obtain greater benefits in their dealings with food chains in the world.
Sengendo called on the participants in the forum to discuss the solutions and challenges facing the member states concerning the production of strategic goods and to develop long and short-term plans to achieve stability in the commodity market and enhance production capacities within efforts related to management and information exchange in this regard.
He affirmed the commitment of the OIC General Secretariat to deal with member states to increase the production of commodities and enhance standards related to food safety.
Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar H E Arman Issagaliyev, whose country hosts the General Secretariat of IOFS, said that the stability of the food market and the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic were of high concern to the international community.
He reviewed the efforts made by Kazakhstan in the field of food security and the development of the agricultural sector using modern technologies, and the high productivity of grain, especially wheat, from which it produces nearly 7 million tonnes annually, as well as the assistance it provides to countries in need.
He commended the State of Qatar's role in enhancing IOFS's efforts, achieving its goals and implementing a number of programs within the activities of the organization, including managing food security and developing the halal formula and other important initiatives, stressing the role of the organization in ensuring food security and its sustainability.
Secretary-General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA) Yousef Hasan Khalawi affirmed the importance of joint action and establishing real and successful partnerships through this forum to achieve food security and ensure means for providing food, between organisations that are based on public service, especially Islamic organizations, reviewing the lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis, including the loss of a sense for security - food security in particular, at a large level.
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