(MENAFN- The Peninsula) sanaullah ataullah |
The Peninsula
Doha: The Ministry of Municipality has signed an agreement to launch a 'Farmers Digital Platform' to enhance efficiency of food production system and ensure food security in the country, said an official.
The platform will collect and integrate all data related to food security under a single digital dashboard available to decision makers in Qatar for making data-driven policies and interventions.
“An agreement was signed recently to launch the project,” said Director of Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality, Yousef Khalid Al Khulaifi.
Speaking to Al Rayyan TV recently, he said that the project aims to collect data of local food producers including agricultural, poultry and dairy farms, and food products - imported as well as locally produced - auctioned and sold in local market.
“These data will be made available at a single platform, enabling decision makers to make appropriate and timely decisions,” said Al Khulaifi.
At present, he said, data are being collected but under different platforms.“The new project will provide all necessary data under one platform because a decision maker needs complete data including figures and indicators for taking any important decision.”
He said that the development of Farmers Digital Platform will be accomplished soon.“Three programmes will be launched in March to mark the operation of the platform. Other porgrammes will be launched gradually this year.
He said it was very necessary to provide information on time for bringing accuracy in analysing and taking a suitable decision, for example, making available data about self-sufficiency rate of the country in food production on a daily basis.
The National Food Security Strategy seeks to achieve certain level of self-sufficiency in vegetables, focusing on optimal utilisation of natural resources of the country, especially land and groundwater.
In this context, the Ministry of Municipality is keen to raise productivity and efficiency of Qatari farms by working to adopt and disseminate modern agricultural technology that saves water, enhances productivity, and suits Qatari environment technically and economically.
Qatar attaches great importance to food security as one of the important and vital issues, to ensure the availability of food through local production and providing sufficient strategic stocks of food commodities that have the ability to be stored for long periods.
Qatar is improving food systems to comply with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, through projects and programmes that were implemented to enhance the food system in the country.