The Food Security Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) has stepped up efforts to reduce food waste in different stages of supply chain with the help of smart technologies and research works for ensuring food security in the country.
The initiative ‘Food Wast Management Programme’, was launched by the Food Security Department to reduce food wastes and make policies to collect the organic wastes and recycle or use them for other purposes.
The Food Security Department in coordination with Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University is currently conducting a study on the subject of food waste in the country. The study is expected to complete by the end of 2020, said a report of National Strategy for Food Security 2019 issued by the MME recently.
The TASMU Smart Qatar program of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) is also being utilised to reduce the food wastes in the country, said the report.
TASMU oversees the development and implementation of smart technologies in five priority sectors across the nation; Transportation, Healthcare, Logistics, Environment, and Sports.
The National Strategy for Food Security is based on four pillars — local food production, internal supply chain, international trade and logistic services and strategic reserve.
The report says that the local food production is the strongest pillar because it achieved remarkable growth to keep pace with the executive plan of food security strategy of the country.
The progress of internal food supply chain is satisfactory, the report suggests adding that the marketing programmes made great contribution in marketing locally produced food items in large quantity.
Mahseel, the marketing arm of Hassad Food has also helped boost marketing of local food products and maintaining internal supply chain.
Regarding international trade and logistic services, the report suggests that the current situation requires to diversify sources of import of food products to avoid any sudden disruption in supply chain in case of any crisis at the exporting countries.
A working team on international trade and logistic services was set up following the ministerial decision No. 73 of 2019 to bring about a proper solution in this regards. To maintain the strategic reserve of food items in the country, necessary measures have been taken to increase the strategic reserve of basic food items according to the National Strategy of Food Security.
The working team of strategic reserve of food security set up by the ministerial decision No. 81 of 2019, is working in full swing to serve the purpose.The issuance of Law No. 24 of 2019 to regulate the management of strategic reserve of food items and consumable goods is a major step in this regards, said the report.
