Qatar has witnessed a substantial increase in the production of local vegetables in the last five years, according to figures released by the department of agricultural affairs at AgriteQ 2018 yesterday.
Inquiries at the department’s booth at the exhibition found while the production of vegetables was approximately 884 tonnes in 2012-2013, it rose to 2,380 tonnes four years later in 2016-17. The production has touched 1,612 tonnes so far this year.
While the agricultural marketing yards worked for four months in 2012-13, they worked for seven months in 2016-17. In 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16, the yards worked for five, six and seven months, respectively.
Similarly, there has been a growing participation from local farms at the marketing yards over the years. While only 24 farms were there when the yards started in 2012-13, the number rose more than three-fold to 81 in 2016-17.
While 56 farms participated in 2013-14, the numbers rose to 73 and 78 in 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively.
The sales also grew significantly at the yards. In 2013-14, the sales were approximately 647.9 tonnes.
The figures were 1,078, 1,428, 1,914 and 1,721 tonnes in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18,respectively.
The yards are located in Al Thakhira, Al Mazrua’a, Al Wakrah and Katara.
The department has also released figures of distributed quantities of premium vegetables, per month.
The premium vegetables programme of the department of agricultural affairs at the Ministry of Economy, has been aimed at supporting the local farmers to expand the planting of vegetables and the rate of production and also to improve the marketing methods. The programme was launched in December 2016.
In the past 15 months till February 2018, almost 1,485,000kg of vegetables were distributed in the local market. At the start of the programme only 19 farms were covered while their numbers rose to 70 at the end of last month.
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