Hassad Food, Qatar's premier investor in food sector, on Sunday launched the first solar powered irrigation technology in the local fodder sector, aiming to produce around 20,000 tonnes of fodder annually.

This comes as part of its new expansion phase for its fodder sector with five new pivots to be cultivated as part of this phase.

The fodder is expected to be produced over a land area of 10mn sqm.

Hassad launched this strategic project using state-of-the-art irrigation technology to support in satisfying the local market needs and this initiative will open new areas for using renewable energy in agriculture, a senior official said.

“We studied the market needs for animal feed, then we developed a plan and currently we are in the implementation phase; this includes increasing the cultivated area using state-of-the-art solar-powered irrigation technologies to preserve the environment, and increase the quality and quantity of this strategic product,” Mohamed al-Mohannadi, Director of the Animal Feed Division at Hassad, said.

Hassad currently owns three farms (Irkkiyah, Sailiyah and A’Refa’) that spans over a land area of 10mn sqm. The company developed its sales points at Al-Wakra, Central-Market, Sheehaniya, Mazrou’a, Simaisma and Irkkiyah to ensure continuous supply of fodder products to meet the needs of livestock owners.

Hassad Food, a subsidiary of the country's sovereign wealth fund, had earlier extended its financial and technical support to 'Anaam' or the Qatar Livestock Society as part of efforts to bridge the gap between the local production and demand.

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