‘Qatar working towards achieving food security’
HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi stressed that Qatar has harnessed all its energies to work towards achieving food security, noting the keenness of the country’s leadership to develop natural resources, especially agriculture, in order to achieve self-sufficiency in many goods and products.
This came in a speech of the minister on the occasion of the celebration of World Food Day, which falls today, and is celebrated this year under the theme ‘Zero Hunger’.
The minister said that Qatar’s celebration of World Food Day is a reaffirmation of the importance of food and the need to provide it to every resident, adding that the theme of this year’s celebration is to raise public awareness about the problem of hunger and to highlight the suffering of the hungry people in the world.
He stressed the need to take measures to combat hunger, adding that everyone is concerned about the phenomenon and all (governments, countries, institutions and individuals) have a role in eliminating it through the development of production and increasing the stock of basic foodstuffs, and the implementation of food security strategies of production, import and diversification and the duration of the dry, fresh and frozen stock.
He pointed out that the FAO is trying on this occasion to emphasise the right of people to get food, and urged governments to provide food for their people and investment in agriculture and food.
HE al-Rumaihi noted that at the local level, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment has an important responsibility to ensure food security and natural resource development to increase production and increase self-sufficiency.
It adopted plans and strategies based on increasing the production of agricultural commodities in the country such as vegetables, red meat, poultry, eggs and fish.
The agricultural sector was able to achieve a great leap in order to meet the requirements of the local market and raise the self-sufficiency in the sectors of plants, animals and fish.
He also expressed his hope that the ministry will take part in the celebration of World Food Day, organise awareness activities with the participation of a number of stakeholders in food security and the elimination of hunger, spread awareness about the problem of hunger and the importance of reducing it.
The mark the occasion, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment will organise an event at Ezdan Mall in Al Gharafa on October 16, 17 and 18, in co-operation with a number of stakeholders such as the Ministry of Public Health and the Qatar Red Crescent among others, in addition to a number of local productive farms, as well as student activities and visits to raise awareness about the importance of food and methods to combat hunger, and the need to not waste food.
World Food Day, which falls on October 16 each year, marks the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1945.
According to UN agencies, the number of hungry people in the world reached 821mn this year.