During a virtual press conference yesterday, Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the MME, Yousuf Khalid al-Khulaifi, called on farmers to get registered for early pre-contracting with Mahaseel company to set their production plans, ensure sale at high guarantee prices and achieve good income for their produce.
The registration is open until October 31, he added.
Al-Khulaifi emphasised that MME has assured farmers that Mahaseel will receive their crops from first and second class of vegetables throughout the season at fixed guarantee rates, regardless of market prices, paving the way for local farmers to draw their production and marketing plan to ensure a profitable return.
The director of the agricultural affairs department explained that Daman programme aims to support food security, and encourage farmers to increase vegetables production under a fixed guarantee price throughout the season, and to ensure stable income regardless of price fluctuations.
Al-Khulaifi said the ministry was keen to diversify programmes that market the products of Qatari farms.
He said Daman programme’s new phase will be launched in October 2020 and it will continue until the end of June 2021, as new improvements have been added to it, including part of the ministry’s strategy to extend the agricultural season and focus on producing major crops at certain times of the year.
He said that the ministry, in co-operation with Mahaseel, has developed another programme to buy vegetables produced in the summer at attractive prices starting from July until the end of the summer season, with the aim of extending the agricultural season and encouraging more production.
General manager of Mahaseel, Mohamed Ali al-Ghaithani, explained that more than 15mn kg of vegetables were marketed from Qatari farms,and more than 180 farms benefited from it.
