Katara fest on Qatari products

Katara – the Cultural Village is set to host another unique initiative from January 7 to the end of April, aimed at supporting farmers in the country by promoting Qatari products.
The “Mahaseel Festival”, organised in collaboration with the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, will run from 8am to 9pm daily and from 8am to 6pm during public holidays.
As part of its effort to serve the community, Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti said the festival is a renewal of their commitment towards supporting Qatar’s agricultural sector, national livestock, and food products, as well as offering new business opportunities to the owners of Qatari farms.
He said that the festival will feature competitions, exhibitions, and an array of cultural activities to raise awareness about Qatari food products among consumers and farmers.
“To promote the culture of good, social solidarity, devotion and support, we will work in collaboration with a number of local institutions and charity associations to distribute quantities of displayed food products to vulnerable families at the end of each day of the festival,” al-Sulaiti said.
Katara restaurants will buy food products from the festival as a gesture of support to the farm owners taking part in the event.
“We believe that the festival will act as a vital contributor to development, quality and competitiveness, in addition to offering the best services in the market to the producers and consumers from various social categories,” al-Sulaiti stressed.
Festival organising committee head Salman al-Nuaimi, who is also the director of the co-ordination and follow-up unit at Katara, noted that the event, to be hosted in the southern part of the Cultural Village, will be offering visitors “an outstanding market where the best quality of Qatari agricultural products are displayed” through the 22 sales outlets and 12 mobile vending vehicles.
Some of these products include vegetables, fresh fruits, honey, poultry, milk and cheese products, fresh juices, and flowers.
The festival will also feature several events and student-based activities such as the “arrangements contest” for students.
Katara will also organise a weekly contest every Friday and Saturday, offering each winner QR2,000 worth purchasing coupons.
“The festival will also include the ‘Nakheel (Palms) Exhibition’ to promote awareness on the phases accompanying the planting process of the tree, pollination, fruits, its importance and benefits to health, the relevant foods, industries and traditional crafts, as well as the honoured status of the palm tree in the Holy Qur’an,” al-Nuaimi said.
In addition, the festival will stage agricultural docks to instruct children and visitors on the various phases of tree planting, starting with preparing the soil, planting seeds, irrigation, respiration, and methods of providing best care to plants and fruits.