File photo used for representation only
Doha: Qatar has been ranked number one in Arab countries in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2021, issued by UK- based the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
“Qatar has jumped 13 places to secure 24th place in the ranking of 113 countries in the latest edition of GFSI 2021.
The country was ranked at 37th place in the 2020 edition of the report,” said Director of the Food Security Department Dr. Masoud Jarallah Al Marri.
Addressing a press conference at the headquarters of the Ministry of Municipality yesterday, Dr. Al Marri said that Qatar made remarkable achievements in food security despite the difficulties and challenges that the country faced during the years 2017-2021, as well as the harsh climatic and environmental conditions it is facing.
He said according to GFSI 2021, the situation of food security in Qatar has improved which reflected on the affordability, availability and quality of food supplies through enhancing sustainable investments in infrastructure, food security policies and strategies.
He said Food markets and agricultural yards for selling local farm produce witnessed big developments.
“The great achievements represented in diversification of partners in international trade and trade routes, increasing the local production capacity of the most important and perishable basic commodities as the improvement was in dairy and poultry products, fresh vegetables and seafood,” said Dr. Al Marri.
“Other major developments are expansion and modernization of the logistical infrastructure in the country’s ports and warehouses, establishment of strategic storage reserves of wheat and rice commodities and increasing the reserve stocks of a wide range of basic foodstuffs in the country’s retail stores.”
He said public expenditures increased on agricultural research through the Qatar National Program for Financing Food Security Research, which has reached its third cycle.
“Efforts continue to update Qatar’s food security policies and strategies, as well as through the national dialogues that were launched last year on the Food System Summit.” He said the Ministry will continuously enhance food security in Qatar. “The measures include reducing food loss and waste in the supply chain, improving production capacity and encouraging year-round production to deal with the critical summer months and adopting
environmentally sensitive production methods,” said Dr. Al Marri.
“Qatar aims to be on an equal footing in food security with some countries with similar challenges to food production, such as Singapore, which ranks 15th in the world despite its great lack of arable land and large-scale food production with a warm and humid tropical climate,” said Dr. Al Marri.
