Growing demand for milk and milk products in Qatar will drive local dairy farms to expand and add more modern facilities to increase their livestock, an official has said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the fifth Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (Agriteq 2017), Arab Qatari Company for Dairy Production (Ghadeer) farm manager Mohamed El Sadani told Gulf Times that plans to raise more cows in the country require suitable shelters and expertise.
“We vaccinate the cows and feed them nutritious fodder to ensure they are healthy. Disease prevention is very important because raising livestock has a lot of risks and challenges,” he explained.
Cows seen in their enclosure at Agriteq 2017. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
Currently, Ghadeer has more than 2,200 cows and each herd (about 1,000 cows) produces around 26,000 litres of milk per day, according to El Sadani. The volume increases to more than 30,000 litres during the peak period, which is winter.
The farm official hopes to increase the number of cows in order to produce more milk, a move that will help meet the growing demand.
"Producing more milk will help Qatar reduce its dependence on imports of dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and curd, and butter. It is also expected to make prices of these products cheaper in the local market."
El Sadani cited population growth, increasing awareness about healthy living, and a flourishing tourism industry in the country as key drivers in the growing demand for such products, which form part of a healthy diet.
However, he explained that expansion plans are also costly, risky and faced with many challenges – a reason to invest in technology, build and upgrade cooling facilities, and tap the services of veterinarians and experts.
Apart from milk and dairy products, demand is also growing for fodder in the country, especially locally-produced ones, the farm official said.
“Raising more cows means we need more food to feed them,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Municipality and Environment’s assistant undersecretary for Agriculture Affairs and Fisheries Dr Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani highlighted the importance of Agriteq in achieving food security.
The exhibition covers all kinds of agri-business sectors such as animal production, floriculture, horticulture, landscaping, agricultural machinery, and food equipment and accessories, which is a comprehensive one-stop-shop, according to Dr Faleh. He is also the head of the steering committee for organising and supervising the event.
He noted that Agriteq also aims to showcase the latest technologies and innovations in front of decision makers and senior staff in the agriculture sector.
The exhibition, open from 9am to 9pm, concludes on Saturday.
“We vaccinate the cows and feed them nutritious fodder to ensure they are healthy. Disease prevention is very important because raising livestock has a lot of risks and challenges,” he explained.
Cows seen in their enclosure at Agriteq 2017. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
Currently, Ghadeer has more than 2,200 cows and each herd (about 1,000 cows) produces around 26,000 litres of milk per day, according to El Sadani. The volume increases to more than 30,000 litres during the peak period, which is winter.
The farm official hopes to increase the number of cows in order to produce more milk, a move that will help meet the growing demand.
"Producing more milk will help Qatar reduce its dependence on imports of dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and curd, and butter. It is also expected to make prices of these products cheaper in the local market."
El Sadani cited population growth, increasing awareness about healthy living, and a flourishing tourism industry in the country as key drivers in the growing demand for such products, which form part of a healthy diet.
However, he explained that expansion plans are also costly, risky and faced with many challenges – a reason to invest in technology, build and upgrade cooling facilities, and tap the services of veterinarians and experts.
Apart from milk and dairy products, demand is also growing for fodder in the country, especially locally-produced ones, the farm official said.
“Raising more cows means we need more food to feed them,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Municipality and Environment’s assistant undersecretary for Agriculture Affairs and Fisheries Dr Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani highlighted the importance of Agriteq in achieving food security.
The exhibition covers all kinds of agri-business sectors such as animal production, floriculture, horticulture, landscaping, agricultural machinery, and food equipment and accessories, which is a comprehensive one-stop-shop, according to Dr Faleh. He is also the head of the steering committee for organising and supervising the event.
He noted that Agriteq also aims to showcase the latest technologies and innovations in front of decision makers and senior staff in the agriculture sector.
The exhibition, open from 9am to 9pm, concludes on Saturday.
