Minister of Finance H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Communications and Information Technology H E Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, and other officials visiting the 12th Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ) 2025 at Katara yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The 12th Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ) 2025 concluded yesterday on a high note. The five-day event attracted about 97,000 visitors including 1,069 school students.
The exhibition, held at Cultural Village Foundation, Katara, featured 356 entities and exhibitors from 29 countries, 114 local farms, 22 embassies, 50 speakers, and 46 discussion sessions.
At the closing ceremony yesterday, Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah honoured members of the organising committee and sponsors of the exhibition, who contributed to the success of the event. Chairman of the Organizing and Supervisory Committee of Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition 2025, Yousef Khalid Al Khulaifi said AgriteQ 2025, held over 40,000 sqm, has become the largest edition. Speaking in a video posted on the X platform of the Ministry of Municipality, he said the exhibition also witnessed a record participation of local farms which reflects the significant growth of the agricultural sector of the country.
“One of the major goals of the exhibition is to introduce the latest technologies to local farms enabling them to overcome the challenges in the way of producing vegetables in Qatar,” said Al Khulaifi.
He said the strategy aims at producing perishable food commodities including vegetables and storing other commodities for months to ensure food security in the country. “Schools participated in the exhibition activity and showcased their research projects on agricultural innovations, for example a project was on detecting crop diseases using AI techniques,” said Al Khulaifi. The activities of the conference accompanying the exhibition continued for the fifth and final day in a row.
Several sessions were held on the Biotechnology Forum to discuss the role of agricultural genomics in modern agriculture, the basic genetic pattern of agricultural genomics, the preservation of plant biodiversity, the effect of medicinal plants on the growth of the red palm weevil, and the study of the application of local microbial materials in pest control.
Reem Ahmed Al Haidousi, Senior Biologist at the Biotechnology Center at the Ministry of Municipality, discussed the effect of the neem plant (Azadirachta indica) in combating the red palm weevil and confirmed its effectiveness as a natural pesticide that works to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and protect the environment.
Dr. Mona Ali Al Balushi, a biotechnology expert at the Ministry of Municipality, presented the results of her research on phytoplasma infection in alfalfa, pointing out the importance of early detection of this disease to reduce crop losses.
Dr. Samir Al Jaoua, from the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Qatar University, also spoke about the use of local microbial resources in combating agricultural pests. He explained how these biological solutions can reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and maintain the ecological balance in agriculture. Vice-Chairman of the Central Municipal Council Mubarak bin Frish Al Salem praised the great success of the 12th edition of the exhibition, which provided a platform to showcase the latest irrigation and smart agriculture technologies, supporting food security in Qatar.
He stressed the importance of the exhibition in exchanging expertise and agricultural innovation, which contributes to developing the sector and strengthening the national economy, emphasising its role in achieving agricultural sustainability and self-sufficiency in the country.
