QNA
Doha
The Ministry of Municipality (MoM) and Qatar University (QU) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to conduct a comprehensive study on agricultural loss and food waste in Qatar. This initiative is part of the ministry’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with government and private institutions to achieve the objectives of the National Food Security Strategy 2030 and bring its pillars to fruition through various partnerships and agreements.
The MoU was signed during the launch ceremony of Qatar’s National Food Security Strategy 2030. The agreement was formalised by Dr Masoud Jarallah Al Marri, director of the Food Security Department at MoM, and Dr Hamad Abdulrahman Al Ibrahim, representing QU.
Dr Al Marri explained that the National Food Security Strategy 2030, which was prepared in close cooperation with relevant authorities from the public and private sectors, aims to achieve sustainability and ensure food security for the country.
He pointed out that this strategy is based on guiding principles that include promoting healthy and consumer habits, ensuring safety and quality, achieving environmental sustainability, adapting to climate change, and building effective partnerships.
He added that the national strategy comprises 17 initiatives organised across three main pillars, supported by 146 measures to ensure effective implementation.
The first pillar, Local Production and Local Markets, aims to promote sustainable practices in local production, adopt methods to enhance environmental sustainability, encourage investment and innovation in the local food sector, and implement policies that stimulate trade, marketing, and pricing.
The second pillar focuses on strategic stocks and alert systems, as it seeks to improve and expand the strategic stock of food commodities, establish and manage a strategic stock of agricultural inputs, and develop central alert systems to monitor risks and response mechanisms.
Meanwhile, the third pillar targets international trade and investment, focusing on enhancing capabilities in global trade, diversifying import sources, and supporting the competitiveness of local production. This will contribute to Qatar’s access to additional international markets.
Additionally, it aims to expand the storage facilities at Hamad Port, transforming it into a regional hub for food trade and manufacturing.