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Technological advancement and government support offer opportunities for Qatar’s agricultural sector to prosper as it plays a crucial role in the economic growth of a country.
Top three reasons to invest in Qatar’s agritech sector is its mobile internet speed, world-class technological infrastructure and continued government initiatives to grow the sector with 70 percent self-sufficiency planned for 2023 under Qatar National Food Security Programme. Qatar is also among the top 30 globally on the logistics performance index, Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) said in a recent tweet.
Qatar’s world-class tech sector is critical to growth of agritech in the region.
The country is a promising candidate for transformation of its agritech industry in the Mena region because of its strategic location and tech infrastructure as it ranked first in the GCC Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2021.
Qatar will host the first International Horticultural Expo 2023 in Mena, which aims to bring together thought leaders and innovators to drive new and sustainable ways of greening the desert.
Qatar International Agriculture Exhibition (AgriteQ 2022) provided an opportunity for investors to collaborate on the latest agricultural technologies. It attracted wide interest in light of the vital agricultural projects and promising investment opportunities in Qatar, as well as the unlimited government support to stimulate agricultural, livestock and fish production, and enhance marketing of the national agricultural products.
Digitalisation and tech investments show growing promise in Mena agritech industry and several factors are positively affecting investments in agritech in the Mena — such as agritech startups, digital technologies in agritech and demographic preferences.
Tech based agricultural practices in Mena have revolutionised agri-food sector investments, IPA Qatar stated in a report entitled ‘Agriculture in Qatar’.
Citing a project by Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), it noted that QEERI introduced a project that aims to boost the future of farming in Qatar.
The Hydroponics and Aquaponics with Artificial Intelligence of Things (HAIAT) project started at QEERI under the leadership of QNRF and the Ministry of Municipality.
Its main deliverables are a functional industrial-scale hydroponic monitoring and control system, a prototype monitoring and control system for aquaponics and use of IoT methods and technologies to develop a Holistic Monitoring and Control System (HMCS).
The report highlighted the development of technological inputs like precision agriculture, Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and data analytics. It further said that Qatar Centre for Artificial Intelligence focuses on developing the latest AI tools and technology.
The government initiatives include 70 percent self-sufficiency target for this year under Qatar National Food Security Strategy.
Joint Food Security project (Qatar National Research Fund and Ministry of Municipality) aims at investments in sustainable food systems and partnerships between Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) and the MME to create investment opportunities in agritech.
To achieve self-sufficiency, Qatar’s National Food Security Strategy aims to introduce scientific agriculture and non-traditional farm practices as the country tries to navigate climate challenges.
Vertical farms and hydroponics are among other futuristic practices that offer the opportunity to leverage the key strengths of biotechnology to expand agriculture.
As growing population pushes up food demand, the country provides a fertile ground for investment in agriculture.
