The expected visit of a Qatari delegation to Italy “in the coming months” confirms the “key importance” of the agro-food industry and food security, Italian ambassador Pascuale Salzano has said.
The ambassador’s statement came in the wake of the recent two-day visit to Qatar of a high-level delegation led by Italian National Coldiretti Union national president Roberto Moncalvo and Filiera Agricola Italiana Inc national president Ettore Prandini.
On July 9, the Italian delegation, which also included main players of the Italian agricultural production and network, met with HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi, Qatar Chamber board member Mohamed bin Ahmed al-Obaidly and officials of Baladna and LuLu Group Qatar.
Several meetings were held on the next day with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar Investment Authority, Hassad Food and Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar), as well as private sector companies Agrotec and PRAS Qatar.
The meetings, which were organised with the support of the Italian embassy in Qatar and the local office of the Italian Trade Agency, aim to offer Doha “a very significant support” in its food chain distribution, the embassy had said earlier.
According to Salzano, Coldiretti is the major organisation representing agricultural entrepreneurs both at the Italian and European level.
He said the organisation offers a distinctive, sustainable and replicable agricultural model, “which can contribute to the implementation of Qatar’s ambitious master plan on domestic agricultural production and food-security approach”.
“Italy has a unique biodiversity, one of the richest in the world. We have developed a solid expertise in the field of agriculture and livestock breeding, as well as agro-processing, and we are ready to work with Qatar side by side in order to identify technology and research solutions, which can better serve and suit Qatar’s goals,” Salzano told
Gulf Times.
He also expressed optimism in increasing Italian food exports to Qatar, particularly the variety of fresh and frozen products available to consumers in the country.
Salzano added, “Made in Italy food products are known and appreciated worldwide for their top quality, especially in Qatar…in addition to this, while providing the best quality, the Italian way of doing agriculture and food processing also embodies the principles of the Mediterranean diet and respond to people’s demand for health and quality of life, all aspects of particular interest for Qatari people.”
Italian ambassador Pascuale Salzano
