The Agricultural Research Department under the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) is in the process of registering a patent for the nutritional medium to prepare date palm tissue culture seedlings, HE the minister Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie was told on Thursday.
Work is underway to obtain the official certification of the patent, according to a briefing received by the minister during a visit to the Tissue Culture Laboratory of the department, the MME said in a statement.
HE al-Subaie stressed the importance of the role being played by the laboratory in producing date palm offspring of good genetic characteristics and high yield, during the coming years.
The minister was accompanied by Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani, the assistant undersecretary of Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs, and Hamad Saket al-Shammari, the director of the Agricultural Research Department, along with other officials.
HE al-Subaie was briefed about the progress of work, the various stages of production, the stages of tissue culture of date palms, and the efforts being made in the field of palm reproduction in the laboratory.
“These efforts would enhance the development process and sustainability of resources to achieve the desired development goals,” the minister was told.
During the visit, HE al-Subaie listened to briefings from al-Shammari and Amal al- Mahmoud, the director of the Tissue Culture Section.
The laboratory is expected to produce over the years 150,000 date palm seedlings of distinctive varieties for farmers and consumers in order to meet the demand of the Qatar market.
Al-Shammari explained that date palm tissue culture assumes great significance within the strategic plan of the Agricultural Research Department due to the cultural, religious and social connection of the palm trees with Qataris.
Efforts are being made in co-operation with the private sector for the production to reach 50,000 seedlings by the third year of the commencement of the works of the laboratory.
"The MME is also trying to make Qatar an exporter of date palm trees after achieving self-sufficiency," the official added.
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