A number of local farm owners have stressed that using greenhouses has helped them further enhance their production of fresh vegetables all year round, more so because it is not practical to continue with open-field farming throughout the year.
Speaking to local Arabic daily Arrayah, they said there is a need for more support from the entities concerned to covert around 1,400 seasonal farms around the country into farms that produce all year round. Such support should include the subsidised supply of water and electricity and providing farmers with sophisticated technology in keeping with the local environment. 
They stressed that having farms that produce all year round has become indispensable in the quest for achieving food security in the country. This is in addition to having a good supply of animal fodder to maintain a growing number of livestock heads so as to meet the needs of the local market, the daily states.
Mubarak Rashid al-Neami, a farm owner, said: “The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) around the world should make us here, in Qatar, adopt a plan to quickly shift towards greenhouse farming in order to have a comprehensive food security system in the country.”
He pointed out that such farms should be able to produce vegetables, fruits, fish and dairy products to supply the needs of the local market and export any surplus. Nasser al-Kuwari said there is an urgent need to adopt the greenhouse farming approach in the country to be able to address major global crises and any possible shortage or stoppage of the food product supply chain. He added that the authorities subsidise and support producing farms through various means, such as water, electricity and seeds, but the shift towards full greenhouse farming needs further support such as adequate cooling systems, increasing the space of farms and the supply of a qualified and experienced workforce. 
He noted that the main impediment for more expansion in greenhouse farming is the high cost of the required tools and equipment, especially in the preparation stages until the actual production starts. Accordingly, he sought further support from the government in this area.
Hamad al-Libdah stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic has convinced farmers that shifting to greenhouse farming is becoming a pressing need in order to locally produce different types of fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as livestock fodder, as the open field method may be adequate for just four months of farming in the country. He suggested that the entities concerned should adopt a plan to designate certain farms to be specialised in producing certain types of vegetables, such a farm dedicated to tomatoes, another to cucumbers and so on. This way, he felt, a steady supply of these fresh products would be available for local consumers while ensuring high quality and reasonable prices.