HE the Minister of Municipality and Chairman of the national committee for hosting the Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha, Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie, has underscored the significance of hosting conferences and major events by Qatar, including agricultural exhibitions, in quest of promoting its status on the map of vital international events.
He pointed out that the Expo 2023 Doha is considered the largest event to be hosted by Qatar after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which contributes to upgrading its pioneering status as a vital regional and international hub for major events.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE the Minister pointed out that this global expo features the participation of 80 states and is anticipated to draw more than 3mn visitors over the next six months, adding that such a unique edition of the expo strives to promote the notion of green desert as a primary focus to be highlighted in the coming years, which constitutes an opportunity to explore innovative solutions that address water scarcity, desertification problems, handling climate changes, establishing a platform that brings together persons and ideas to accelerate the pace of innovation, creativity, research and scientific progress in modern agriculture to produce a secure and sustainable food for world population.
He pointed out that this major global event largely contributes to updating the plans pursued by the ministry to further utilise the latest cutting-edge agricultural technologies, especially in agricultural digital transformation to achieve efficiency in production, ensure sustainability, preservation of natural resources, as well as achieve Qatar National Vision 2030.
This global event helps upgrade services, localise agricultural facilities, and promote local production through expansion in the utilisation of cutting-edge crop production technologies that are appropriate for local climate settings to increase the space of planted areas and elevate the percentage of self-sufficiency from food commodities, carry out projects to optimise the efficiency of utilising irrigation water in agriculture through using modern irrigation systems.
He emphasised that the event also contributes to establishing new projects in aquaculture, optimising local production of fresh fish, in addition to achieving a production boom that upgrades self-sufficiency rates in animal products to globally advanced rates in global food security indicator, and subsequently increase the strategic stock of key and essential commodities in times of crises and disasters.
HE Dr al-Subaie added that Expo 2023 Doha broadly addresses four major themes; modern agriculture through which the scientific progress is harnessed in producing safe, sustainable and cost-effective foods, particularly in desert settings, as well as technology and innovation, pointing out that the themes focuses on new technologies management to bolster agricultural productivity and achieve equilibrium of environmental sustainability and primarily focuses on raising the global awareness on the importance of conserving the environment and sustainability.
They also focus on achieving balance between a variety of needs, in addition to promoting economic, technological, and environmental awareness, he affirmed.
Expo 2023 Doha promotes the bridges of communication between the Qatari private sector and its counterparts globally through their engagement in this global activity to further hold bilateral meetings to share expertise, as well as sign agreements and memorandums of understanding to reinforce co-operation in agriculture, HE Dr al-Subaie pointed out, indicating that the expo is a valuable opportunity to create a convergence hub among all officials, experts and professionals in agriculture and horticulture to share expertise and utilise innovation, research and scientific progress in the area of modern agriculture to produce safe and sustainable food production with cost-effective prices for world population with the essential efforts to reduce effects of climate change.
Commenting on the significance of Qatar’s hosting this event notwithstanding that Qatar is characterised by a desert climate, HE the Minister of Municipality outlined that hosting Expo 2023 Doha is an opportunity to explore innovative solutions that handle water scarcity, desertification, and avenues to deal with climate change challenges.
He indicated that the organisation of this event reflects the confidence Qatar has gained, stemming from its enduring efforts to support environment conservation efforts and sustainability to further accomplish the milestones it has achieved in this field, affirming that this critical global expo that runs for 179 days is a vital platform to achieve sustainability in agriculture and horticulture and an opportunity to formulate innovative solutions with the participation of nearly 80 states, along with international organisations, as well as various representatives of the state sectors.
He elucidated that the expo draws agricultural stakeholders, academics and research think tanks to share expertise and learn about the cutting-edge innovations utilised in irrigation and horticulture, as well as major firms and leading factories in agricultural technology and horticulture which primarily help upgrade Qatari national experience to achieve ambitions in food security, along with the optimum utilisation of resources through capitalising on the experiences of others, as well as briefing them on Qatar’s experience in increasing the green areas, water rationalisation, preservation of natural resources and utilisation of cutting-edge technologies.
Commenting on the reason behind the co-opting for the motto of the event: ‘Green Desert, Better Environment’, HE Dr al-Subaie said the selection of this motto is a testament to the possibility of converting countries of a desert climate into a green oasis and large gardens through expansion in the construction of parks and the cultivation of trees and plants through utilising cutting-edge technologies, despite the challenges that were posing impediments in the past, such as water scarcity and dry of soil.
He pointed out that prior to launching of Doha expo, the main building of Expo 2023 Doha that was constructed by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has been registered in Guinness World Records, because it occupies a largest green roof in the world, extending over an area of 4,031sq m.
With regard to the expected role of Expo 2023 Doha in finding easy solutions to irrigation issues, reducing agricultural costs and adopting modern systems, he said the Ministry of Municipality, over the past years, has attached importance to improving agricultural methods, raising the efficiency of irrigation systems, and reducing agricultural production costs, with the aim of supporting farmers to continue the production process and cope with challenges, especially with regard to the scarcity of groundwater in Qatar and the difficult climatic conditions.
He pointed out that the country benefits from the participation of countries with multiple climates as they showcase the modern technologies and capabilities that meet the conditions of agricultural production in Qatar, contribute to achieving food security, enhance production efficiency, and raise the technical and marketing capabilities of farmers there.
HE Dr al-Subaie noted that the world views this important exhibition as an international gathering that discusses agricultural concerns, not only at the level of desert countries with high temperatures, poor soil and water scarcity, but on a global scale. It is expected to witness the launch of initiatives that contribute effectively to overcoming the difficulties facing the agricultural sector and expanding it, he added.
He expressed his aspiration to explore all that new in the field of water rationalisation through what is displayed by leading international companies from various countries of the world in terms of these modern technologies that can be used in the irrigation system for productive farms or green spaces, in addition to the use of innovative technologies such as automated irrigation and agriculture without water, soil hydroponic and aquaponics to enhance the quality and quantity of vegetables and fruits, in addition to converting air saturated with moisture into water suitable for irrigation to reduce waste.
Regarding the Qatari innovations, initiatives and projects presented to the participants, he stated that the exhibition reflects the interest of Qatar in innovations and initiatives that would contribute to finding solutions to the challenges of desertification, plant propagation and increasing the green area through the conferences accompanying Expo 2023. The exhibition was keen to attract all global technologies that reduce desertification, contribute to increasing the green area and agricultural lands, and preserve the existing available water resources, as well as review a number of experiments with modern agricultural systems introduced by Qatari farms, which have many advantages in increasing the green area, such as: agriculture using hydroponic technology, vertical farming and high-tech hydroponic agriculture, which includes increasing production in narrow spaces, reducing labour and eliminating costly operations.
In this context, he pointed out that Qatar is adopting many green initiatives, including, for example, the initiative to plant 1mn trees that was completed and celebrated after the millionth tree was planted with the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. In addition to this, Qatar also launched the initiative to plant 10mn trees by 2030, within the framework of addressing agricultural challenges to reach an equation that contributes to increasing the green area and achieving a sustainable future by promoting the concept of green cities in the Middle East region and encouraging innovation in the field of horticulture, with a focus on climate and water elements in Qatar.
There are other initiatives related to methods of using modern irrigation techniques that save water and reliance on treated water, as rates of irrigation of green spaces using treated water in Qatar have reached about 75%, which is considered a significant rate as it contributes to preserving desalinated water, benefiting from exploiting available renewable materials to increase the green area. The Ministry of Municipality, represented by the Department of Public Parks, supervises the central automatic irrigation system in all municipalities, which supplies plants with their actual water needs without waste, he added. (QNA)
