Chief Executive Officer of Hassad Food Company Eng Mohamed Badr al-Sada has underlined that the strategic co-operation and integration carried out by Hassad Food in step with multiple State institutions to achieve food security for Qatar is primarily a translation of the National Day slogan on the ground, and represent a roadmap for the generations to come.
In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Qatar National Day, al-Sada added that the synchronisation of the joyous National Day, including the national values and the impressive organisation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament represents a catalyst for Hassad Food to further proceed with the progress and achieve successful investments locally and internationally in pursuit of achieving food security.
The CEO of Hassad Food said that the portfolio of international investments for Hassad Food witnessed a remarkable growth in their value by achieving 9% during 2022, representing the success of the financial performance for the company's strategic and commercial investments that are squarely intended to achieve food security for Qatar, outlining that Hassad's investments in Australia have achieved a revenue with 15%, and 9% in Canada and Turkey for the year 2022, pointing out that Hassad Food has investments in six countries worldwide in food and agriculture areas, and the company has invested in global institutions and enterprises operating in grain, meats, poultry, livestock and fish sectors in several countries such as Australia, Canada, Turkey, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan.
Regarding investments, he pointed out that Hassad Food owns nine strategic local investments that aim to support Qatar's food security, the most prominent of which is Aswaq for food facilities management, Mahaseel for Marketing and Agricultural Services, Arab Qatari Agricultural Production Company (Qt fa), Arab Qatari for Poultry Production, Aalaf Qatar, strategic grain storages, National Food Co (Nafco), in addition to Hassad's investment in Baladna and Widam companies.
Commenting on the flagship achievements of the local investments for 2022, the CEO of Hassad Food Company pointed out that Aswaq has operated Al Khor and Al Ruwais fish markets in December 2022, and received 5.3mn boxes, 219,000 pallets at Al Sailiya Central Market and received a roughly 1mn visitors, while in Umm Salal Central Market over 19,200 tonnees of fishes have been received, along with roughly 650,000 visitors, whilst Al Wakra Central Market received over 100,000 heads of livestock, and roughly 500,000 visitors, he said, adding that the camel market auctioned over 18,000 heads of camels and received approximately156,000 visitors, pointing out that Mahaseel for Marketing and Agricultural Services marketed 20mn kilos of vegetables in 2022, in addition to providing agricultural services to 400 local farms with the distribution of over 100 direct sales points to the consumers, as well as providing training courses to the farmers concerning picking, spraying, transportation and storage processes in co-operation with the Ministry of Municipality, where105 farmers were registered for the agricultural season 2022-2023 in Daman programme, he said.
Eng Mohamed Badr al-Sada stated that Aalaf Qatar company has succeeded in producing roughly 13,000 tonnes of locally cultivated green fodders, selling out nearly 100,000 of the subsidised fodder to the citizens, as well as selling out over 17,000 tonnes of locally cultivated and imported green fodders and supplements, revealing that the strategic grain storages have been developed with the augmentation of their total storage capacity to store 300,000 tonnes of grains, he said, adding that new storages have been added bringing the total number to 25 storages with the capacity of 12,000 tonnes for each, in addition to producing over 7.5mn bags of barley and chard, and importing of 335,000 tonnes (8 shipments) from grain fodder (barley and chard), pointing out that Arab Qatari for Poultry Production has succeeded in producing over 6,000 tonnes from poultry, and 100mn of local table eggs, he said, adding that the company intends to increase the production to 16mn hens, and 130mn of table eggs annually.
Concerning Qt fa, al-Sada revealed that the company has succeeded in converting 40,000 sqm of open agriculture into protected agriculture, along with the production of over 80,000 tonnes of vegetables, cultivating over 40,000 palm trees via tissue culture, increasing the productivity of the square meter through the utilisation of the modern irrigation system, converting the system of sorting and grading the vegetables into an automated system, as well as the optimal utilisation of water through converting the agriculture in soil into hydroponics. He said, in addition to supplying the farmers with high-quality vegetable seedlings, providing technical support, and supervising a group of local farms, besides hiring credited clients for over 20 global trademarks in the area of agricultural inputs and equipment, pointing out that Qt fa has received the Global GAP certification through the application of the best agricultural practices based on the international standards, along with its success in converting the plant waste into organic fertiliser (compost) and reusing it in agriculture in pursuit of optimising the soil characteristics.
In the area of dates production, al-Sada clarified that Nafco has manufactured over 2,000 tonnes of dates, marketing over 650 tonnes of dates locally, exporting 500 tonnes of dates abroad through the charitable association (in co-operation with the Ministry of Municipality), he said, asserting that Hassad Food has played an essential role in the crisis and major events management in Qatar, since it is the state's investment arm in food and agriculture sector and has a successful model in this regard, pointing out that Hassad Food has set the rapid intervention plan which is commensurate with its investment strategies to ensure food security for Qatar, underlining that Hassad Food has the ability to supply all kinds of grain and wheat from multiple sources, including North America, Latin America, Turkey, Australia, and the Black Sea region.
He noted that are successful models in fulfilling all needs of the local market from the core foodstuff, especially during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic when part of the state food supplies has been affected and Hassad Food has coordinated with the competent authorities to intervene in pursuit of ensuring the constant supplies of all products required by the local market from several countries, including during the blockade period in 2017, he pointed out, confirming that Hassad Food had a key role in opening new shipping lines (Air, sea, land), and the private sector has been using them until this day in fulfilling the requirements of the local market.