The Ministry of Municipality has adopted various plans to maintain Qatar's food security and constantly update the alternative suppliers of imported food, HE the Minister Dr Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie has said. In an exclusive interview with local Arabic daily Arrayah's Editor-in-Chief Abdulla Ghanim al-Benali al-Mohannadi, he stressed the keenness of the ministry to constantly upgrade and improve its services and respond to the demands of the people.
"The main plans of the ministry for this year include the waste recycling initiatives through the implementation of the comprehensive national programme for solid waste management, and the project of the rehabilitation and management of the waste transfer station," HE Dr al-Subaie explained.
In the field of agriculture and food security, the ministry has various projects and initiatives including the national programme for honey production, for growing green fodder using treated water, to produced fortified fodder, and support to the farm and barn owners. Further, there are a number of projects to increase the production of agricultural crops, red meat, fresh poultry, fresh fish, fresh milk, and fresh shrimps. There is also a comprehensive programme to reduce food wastage, and some initiatives to enhance the research capabilities of the laboratories, besides the initiatives to develop barns and barns' complexes.
Regarding urban planning, HE the Minister of Municipality said the initiative includes adopting and implementing a comprehensive national project for infrastructure across the country, adopting a framework for the urban planning department, managing the database, amendment of the private and public properties, and the amendment of the law for the temporary expropriation and appropriation of real estate for public benefit.
He further talked about a number of initiatives to beautify the cities and increase the green areas in co-ordination with the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), in addition to increasing the number of public parks. The Ministry of Municipality had earlier started co-ordination with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy about preparing the general plans for its role at the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. This role started from the moment of selecting suitable sites for the stadiums and preparing them accordingly, in addition to adopting various plans for the different tasks of the Ministry related to cleaning works, preparing parks, food security, and food health and safety controls.
HE Dr al-Subaie stressed that the work on the implementation of the National Food Strategy is progressing well as Qatar has been ranked first in the Arab World for Global Food Security in 2021 for the second time in three years. He explained that in 2021, self-sufficiency rates were attained in most of the targeted agricultural items. In addition, considerable progress with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry accomplishing the first two phases of the strategic food storage plan, wherein 24 contracts were signed with the private sector to secure the supply of the targeted items.
The Ministry of Municipality extends various means of support to the Qatari farmers to encourage them to increase their production such as providing them seeds, fertilisers and other essentials, subsidised electricity rates, easy loans through Qatar Development Bank, and various ways of marketing support. Similarly, the Ministry is working hard to extend all support to the fishermen and help them reduce the cost of operation to avoid any potential losses and keep them active in the profession.
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