Doha
Three new central markets should be established and equipped with sophisticated display and storage facilities, the agriculture committee of Qatar Chamber (QC) has suggested.
In a recent meeting of the committee, chaired by QC board member Mohamed bin Ahmed al-Obaidly, the agriculture committee members suggested that the three markets should be specialised in food products.
According to the panel, one of these should be meant only for meat products and livestock, located near the new port, the second for fish to be situated near the sea and the third for vegetables and fruits, to be located in an easily accessible area.
Al-Obaidly said the members suggested that such markets be set up by taking into consideration future expansion and population increase in the country. Accordingly, these should be built on the outskirts of Doha, while the existing main central market needs to be developed into a modern retail and wholesale market.
Besides, the committee discussed ways to resolve issues regarding the relocation and development of the central market based on popular demand.
Al-Obaidly highlighted the urgent need to come up with new legislation for food security and agriculture in the country. “These laws should lay down specific definitions for organic and non-organic products. Similarly, new labs should be set up to determine such issues,” he said.
He stressed that the private sector's active participation would be key to resolving any problems in the area of food security. He said the proposed "agricultural city" project would address the four main areas of concern in this sector: shortage of freshwater resources, unfavourable climate, unavailability of adequate space and lack of fertile soil.
“We have seen the experiences of other countries in this field and a comprehensive study was conducted accordingly. We have created a 100% Qatari idea on this issue that suits our environment and situation. We expected it to be systematic and comprehensive,” said al-Obaidly.
Meanwhile, the committee postponed discussions on two other issues - the animal fodder project and poultry farms - as each of these needs a separate meeting.
“We want to focus more on the 'agricultural city' project as it would be a comprehensive one, serving major sectors in the area of food security. Around 4,000 companies, mostly from the private sector, would take part in it,” he added.
Mohamed bin Ahmed al-Obaidly heading the meeting at the QC headquarters
