QR30mn research facility for animal production opens

HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullahal-Rumaihi yesterday inaugurated the Animal Production Research Stationin Sheehaniya Municipality.The QR30mn research station is one of the vital projects launched by theMinistry of Municipality and Environment (MME) to provide the localmarket with necessary food products and achieve self-sufficiency in thisarea, the MME has said in a statement. The inaugural ceremony was also attended by Dr Hassan Rashid al-Derham,president of Qatar University; Sheikh Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani, MMEassistant undersecretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs; a numberof MME departmental managers and members of the Central MunicipalCouncil. The minister conducted a tour of the key facilities and components of the research station. He said the MME was seeking – through such projects – to boost quality,increase production in terms of the number of births and quantity ofmilk produced, as well as curb livestock diseases, which would have asignificant impact on all species of local animals in the country(camel, goat, sheep), the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.He also praised the State’s support for such vital projects and theefforts of those working on the research station as a centre ofprotecting animal products and enhance livestock in Qatar.Masood Jarallah al-Marri, director of the MME’s Agricultural ResearchDepartment, said the new facility is the first such of its kindspecialising in research and development related to animal productiontechniques and exploring ways to improve economic returns from thecountry’s livestock. He stressed that the agricultural sector in the ministry has paid greatattention to this “pioneering project” in co-operation with the PublicWorks Authority (Ashghal), to complete it in a short period and withappropriate specifications to become a reference for studying andimproving the productivity of livestock in Qatar, according to thereport.Al-Marri said the facility, built on a total area of 78,000sqm at atotal cost of about QR30mn, was part of the MME’s projects aimed atachieving food security and strengthening the infrastructure foragricultural research as well as improving and preserving geneticcharacteristics. Through this station, the agricultural sector “puts its practical andhuman capabilities to serve livestock breeders, through research aimedat raising the productivity of milk and red meat, improving the methodsof animal breeding and feeding and selection of breeds of desiredtraits, and then disseminate these results to breeders as well as thedistribution of animals selected to improve the breeds of livestock”,QNA adds.The new station comprises a number of facilities, including threelaboratories for animal feed, artificial insemination and animalbiotechnology, as well as 30 barns and spaces for small ruminants andone for camels and cows where measurements and research activities areto be carried out. It also houses a large numbers of goats, camels andsheep.The MME is currently conducting research on the effectiveness of theintensive production pattern for different goat and sheep species.