Doha: The Shura Council held its regular weekly session in the Tamim bin Hamad Hall at the Council's premises on Monday under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.
At the outset of the session, the Council welcomed the outcomes of the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's state visit to the United Kingdom (UK), stressing its great importance in strengthening strategic relations between the two friendly countries.
The Council said that this visit was an opportunity to deepen bilateral cooperation and accelerate progress in common priority files, including enhancing economic growth and strengthening regional security to support global stability.
Noting that HH the Amir's visit to the UK highlighted the depth and importance of the partnership between the two countries, the Council stressed the significance of enhancing cooperation in various fields, in a way that serves common interests and strengthens the solid bilateral relations.
The Shura Council also praised the success of the 22nd edition of the Doha Forum and its dialogue sessions and discussions, which reflected Qatar's leading position as a platform for international dialogue and enhancing understanding between peoples as well as highlighted its role in addressing important global issues and seeking common solutions for them, which contributes to achieving peace and development.
Then, Secretary-General of the Shura Council HE Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud presented the agenda of the session, during which the minutes of the previous session were approved.
During the session, the Council discussed the request for a general discussion submitted by a number of its members on 'agricultural support mechanisms provided to local farms and the extent of their contribution to enhancing food security.'
In this regard, Speaker of the Council HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim stressed that the State of Qatar, in accordance with the directives of its wise leadership, attaches utmost importance to the agriculture and agricultural production sector since it is one of the key pillars of achieving economic diversification and enhancing food security.
His Excellency said that the Third National Development Strategy (2024-2030) included a special axis on food and agriculture, aiming to develop sustainable agricultural technologies and improve local production in order to achieve food security and rationalize the consumption of resources, especially water, which confirms the importance of this sector and reflects the vision of the wise leadership towards achieving agricultural sustainability.
For their part, Their Excellencies the Council members highlighted that the efforts made by the State and the initiatives it launched to support local farm owners have resulted in a significant increase in local agricultural production in terms of quantity and quality, which enhances the position of Qatari crops in local markets.
They noted that these initiatives have helped farm owners market their production at competitive prices and provided them with technical and logistical support.
The Shura Council members outlined some of the challenges facing farm owners at the present time such as low prices and the failure to cover production costs which led to the closure of some farms, noting the need to review marketing and support mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production.
They pointed to the important role played by the relevant government agencies such as the Ministry of Municipality, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Mahaseel for Marketing and Agricultural Services in supervising the implementation of food security support programs, underscoring the importance of enhancing coordination between the various concerned parties to ensure the achievement of strategic objectives.
After extensive discussions, the Council decided to refer the request for general discussion to the Health, General Services and the Environment Committee to study and submit its report on it.
The Council also reviewed a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. (20) of 2018 regulating tourism, and a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. (21) of 2018 regulating business events, referred to it by the esteemed government. It decided to refer them to the Education, Culture, Sport and Information Committee to study them and present its conclusions regarding them.
At the end of the session, the Council reviewed a number of reports on the participation of its delegations in a number of regional and international parliamentary events.
