HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud opening the exhibition along with other ministers and VIP guests. PICTURES: Shameer Rasheed
By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud opened the 4th Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgritieQ 2015) at the Doha Exhibition Centre yesterday.
HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti and HE the Minister of Environment Ahmed Amer Mohamed al-Humaidi were present at the opening ceremony of the exhibition which is held under the patronage of HE Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.
In addition, several diplomats from various embassies in the country and a number of local farming community members were also present at the opening ceremony.
After the opening the ministers and other officials toured around all the pavilions and interacted with the exhibitors about the products and their mode of cultivation and production.
More than 180 local and international agricultural firms are participating in the three-day event.
Later, HE al-Mahmoud highlighted the government’s efforts in providing support to the farmers and the agricultural sector to increase the agricultural, livestock and fisheries production and contribute to achieving food security and environment sustainability.
The exhibition is also an opportunity for exchanging expertise in the areas of agriculture and modern irrigation systems and advances in the agricultural sector.
Several of the local and international exhibitors felt that the event will help them learn more about new experiments in cultivation, irrigation and production methods in agriculture as well as the modern methods that are taking place in different parts of the world.
Participants in the exhibition are displaying the latest scientific achievements in food industry, areas of animal production and veterinary. In addition, there are several booths dealing with gardening and accessories, flowers, agricultural consulting and investment opportunities.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Magdi Merghani H Eltoum, export manager, Al Mahalliah Trading and Agriculture Company Ltd, Saudi Arabia said that the exhibition is the right platform to understand the changes taking place in the sector.
He said: “Of late, there is a great demand for organic farming and many farms are keen to produce more organic products. We are providing all types of organic products including organic pesticides and fertilisers. This can help the farmers to provide 100% organic products.”
The exhibition also has a number of recreational programmes for children. They include competitions and a heritage village. The exhibition will be open for the public during the three days from 9am to 1pm and form 4pm to 9pm.