More than 35,000 people visited the 10th edition of the Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ 2023), which concluded on Sunday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC).According to an official press statement from the Ministry of Municipality, 523 international companies from 55 countries and 152 local companies participated in the exhibition. Also, AgriteQ 2023 hosted several workshops and discussions on agricultural and food security issues.During the exhibition, 120 tonnes of packaged dates were handed over to Katrina Gallouzi, deputy director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Office and the programme representative in the GCC. This comes as part of Qatar supporting the operations of the World Food Programme in some countries. This contribution stems from the concept of partnership with the WFP, being one of the main United Nations agencies supporting humanitarian and international initiatives, providing food assistance to people suffering from conflicts or emergencies, and contributing to changing the lives of millions through sustainable development projects.Qatar has been a strong donor to the WFP since 2004, as this contribution is made annually in the form of packed dates that are purchased locally.On the final day, HE the Minister of Municipality Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie honoured a number of participants and sponsors.The exhibition witnessed the signing of contracts and a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Municipality and a group of participating entities.Participants and visitors praised the organisers noting that the 10th edition was a success for Qatar. They noted that the exhibition gained special importance while becoming a strategic platform to explore new horizons to upgrade the Qatari agricultural sector as the backbone of food security.The scientific conference accompanying the exhibition also concluded on Sunday after holding four workshops during which 54 working papers dealing with research and studies on food security were presented. The papers discussed various topics while covering innovations and technology in the agricultural sector and climate change issues along with the ways to tackle them. Also, the papers discussed the National Strategy for Food Security while addressing the ways to promote and develop Qatar's strategy for food security by implementing accurate and effective foundations and principles. The papers also contemplated the ways to strengthen food safety awareness while adopting modern methods for food handling and storage. They stressed the need to spread awareness about locally made food and support local food production.
March 19, 2023 | 10:47 PM