*MoCI announces joint national initiative to encourage local production and subsidise lamb meat
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in co-operation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and Widam Food Company, Sunday announced a joint national initiative to encourage local production and subsidise lamb meat for citizens during the holy month of Ramadan this year.
The sale of lamb meat at the newly subsidised prices will start Monday and continue throughout the holy month.
It has been agreed with Widam to provide about 30,000 heads of local and imported sheep, to be sold at subsidised and discounted prices at the rate of two sheep per citizen, provided that the original identity card is presented at Widam slaughterhouses in Wakra, Al Shamal, Al Khor, Al Mazroua and Al Sheehaniya.
As part of the initiative, the price is fixed at QR1,000 for a local sheep (weighing between 30 to 35kg), and QR950 for a Syrian sheep (35 to 40kg). There are additional costs of QR16 for slaughtering, cutting and packaging, and QR34 (for the porter), to be paid through separate coupons.
The MoCI stipulated that slaughtering should be carried out in the slaughterhouses to ensure that the meat reaches the target group of this initiative. The meat shall be delivered in a manner that ensures compliance with the precautionary requirements and preventive measures to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
The MoCI affirmed the continued intensification of its inspection campaigns on sales outlets in order to ensure that live sheep and other foodstuff are available in the markets, stressing that it will take all necessary measures to combat commercial fraud, and prevent unhealthy competition and monopolistic practices to protect the rights of consumers.
As part of its measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, the MoCI has obliged all slaughterhouses to follow a set of precautionary requirements such as providing sanitisers at the main entrances, checking the temperature of employees twice daily, providing masks and gloves to workers and ensuring they use them properly when handling the carcasses.
The conditions also include workers washing their hands regularly before, during and after handling the animals, checking the customers temperature when paying and receiving their orders, allocating specific hours for the elderly to limit their contact with others.
The workers should also disinfect the floors and walls immediately after slaughtering, as well as carry out disinfection operations on a daily basis at all slaughterhouse facilities including waiting halls, doors, knobs and meat delivery cart windows.
The MoCI has called upon all the slaughterhouses to adhere to the precautionary requirements and said that it will work to intensify its inspection campaigns and prosecute violators according to Law No. (8) of 2008 regarding consumer protection.
Widam Food Company has taken precautionary measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 by activating the home delivery service. The company also conducts periodic checks for all workers with advanced devices for remote temperature measurements, with the aim of identifying suspected cases, and activating the disinfection and cleaning mechanism for equipment and machines at production sites and workers' housing, in addition to activating the hands disinfection systems across the company's various facilities and sites starting with the administration building, the various production sites, and the company's slaughterhouses in all Doha and exterior areas.
Widam organises a daily training and awareness programme about Covid-19, follows up on daily reports to ensure the implementation of precautionary measures and plans, and has also temporarily closed its sales outlets other than the main branches. This will reduce contact inside the waiting halls within the framework of public safety and in line with the decisions of the relevant authorities.
The Ministry urged all customers to report complaints and suggestions through: Call Centre: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @ MOCIQATAR, Instagram: MOCIQATAR, mobile app for Android and IOS: MOCIQATAR.
The sale of lamb meat at the newly subsidised prices will start Monday and continue throughout the holy month.
It has been agreed with Widam to provide about 30,000 heads of local and imported sheep, to be sold at subsidised and discounted prices at the rate of two sheep per citizen, provided that the original identity card is presented at Widam slaughterhouses in Wakra, Al Shamal, Al Khor, Al Mazroua and Al Sheehaniya.
As part of the initiative, the price is fixed at QR1,000 for a local sheep (weighing between 30 to 35kg), and QR950 for a Syrian sheep (35 to 40kg). There are additional costs of QR16 for slaughtering, cutting and packaging, and QR34 (for the porter), to be paid through separate coupons.
The MoCI stipulated that slaughtering should be carried out in the slaughterhouses to ensure that the meat reaches the target group of this initiative. The meat shall be delivered in a manner that ensures compliance with the precautionary requirements and preventive measures to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
The MoCI affirmed the continued intensification of its inspection campaigns on sales outlets in order to ensure that live sheep and other foodstuff are available in the markets, stressing that it will take all necessary measures to combat commercial fraud, and prevent unhealthy competition and monopolistic practices to protect the rights of consumers.
As part of its measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, the MoCI has obliged all slaughterhouses to follow a set of precautionary requirements such as providing sanitisers at the main entrances, checking the temperature of employees twice daily, providing masks and gloves to workers and ensuring they use them properly when handling the carcasses.
The conditions also include workers washing their hands regularly before, during and after handling the animals, checking the customers temperature when paying and receiving their orders, allocating specific hours for the elderly to limit their contact with others.
The workers should also disinfect the floors and walls immediately after slaughtering, as well as carry out disinfection operations on a daily basis at all slaughterhouse facilities including waiting halls, doors, knobs and meat delivery cart windows.
The MoCI has called upon all the slaughterhouses to adhere to the precautionary requirements and said that it will work to intensify its inspection campaigns and prosecute violators according to Law No. (8) of 2008 regarding consumer protection.
Widam Food Company has taken precautionary measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 by activating the home delivery service. The company also conducts periodic checks for all workers with advanced devices for remote temperature measurements, with the aim of identifying suspected cases, and activating the disinfection and cleaning mechanism for equipment and machines at production sites and workers' housing, in addition to activating the hands disinfection systems across the company's various facilities and sites starting with the administration building, the various production sites, and the company's slaughterhouses in all Doha and exterior areas.
Widam organises a daily training and awareness programme about Covid-19, follows up on daily reports to ensure the implementation of precautionary measures and plans, and has also temporarily closed its sales outlets other than the main branches. This will reduce contact inside the waiting halls within the framework of public safety and in line with the decisions of the relevant authorities.
The Ministry urged all customers to report complaints and suggestions through: Call Centre: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @ MOCIQATAR, Instagram: MOCIQATAR, mobile app for Android and IOS: MOCIQATAR.
