DOHA -  Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie confirmed yesterday that Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, attaches great importance to food security and the development of natural resources to increase production and raise the level of self-sufficiency.

H E the Minister said, in a speech on the occasion of the celebration of World Food Day, which falls on October 16 of each year, that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment has adopted plans and strategies based on increasing the production of agricultural commodities such as vegetables, red meat, poultry, eggs and fish, and through which the agricultural sector was able to achieve a great leap to cover the requirements of the local market, raise the percentage of self-sufficiency in the plant, animal and fish sectors, and provide a balanced, healthy food.

His Excellency pointed out that the participation of Qatar with many countries and international organisations and institutions, in celebrating World Food Day, which coincides with the day of the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), comes this year in exceptional circumstances in which the world is suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister of Municipality and Environment pointed out that the slogan of this year’s celebration ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together’ aims to increase public awareness of the importance of food for the healthy growth of humans and future generations, while preserving sustainability, as reports indicate that nearly 690 million people suffer from hunger, in addition to two billion people suffering from what is called hidden hunger, which is a lack of vitamins and minerals, which requires helping the poor in the world to obtain a balanced food.

H E the Minister also indicated that the State of Qatar’s celebration of World Food Day comes as an affirmation of the importance of providing food for everyone who lives on its land, in line with the state’s interest, under the wise leadership, to develop natural resources and wealth, especially agricultural products, towards achieving self-sufficiency in many goods and products.

Municipality and Environment have adopted plans and strategies based on increasing the production of agricultural commodities such as vegetables, red meat, poultry, eggs and fish, and through which the agricultural sector was able to achieve a great leap to cover the requirements of the local market, raise the percentage of self-sufficiency in the plant, animal and fish sectors, and provide a balanced, healthy food. His Excellency pointed out that the participation of Qatar with many countries and international organisations and institutions, in celebrating World Food Day, which coincides with the day of the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), comes this year in exceptional circumstances in which the world is suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister of Municipality and Environment pointed out that the slogan of this year’s celebration ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together’ aims to increase public awareness of the importance of food for the healthy growth of humans and future generations, while preserving sustainability, as reports indicate that nearly 690 million people suffer from hunger, in addition to two billion people suffering from what is called hidden hunger, which is a lack of vitamins and minerals, which requires helping the poor in the world to obtain a balanced food.

H E the Minister also indicated that the State of Qatar’s celebration of World Food Day comes as an affirmation of the importance of providing food for everyone who lives on its land, in line with the state’s interest, under the wise leadership, to develop natural resources and wealth, especially agricultural products, towards achieving self-sufficiency in many goods and products. His Excellency pointed out that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is trying, on this occasion, to affirm the human right to have access to safe food and growth, and to urge governments to provide food for their people and to invest seriously in agriculture and food through sound practices to maintain sustainability.

To conclude his speech on this occasion, His Excellency said that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment looks forward, through celebrating World Food Day, to deliver a message to make the world free from hunger, and for everyone to have access to healthy and nutritious food. For his part, Assistant Undersecretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani said that World Food Day aims to raise awareness on the importance of food security, health, and sustainable development. He added that this year’s theme stresses the important role agriculture will play in sustainability, and in ending poverty.

He added that sustainable agriculture can also alleviate the impact of climate change. Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani noted the importance of moving agricultural processes towards more sustainability, saying that it will ultimately lead to more yield and less food loss. He said that this can only be accomplished by adopting several initiatives in the fields of harvest, storage, packaging, and transport. He stressed that all parties involved, the government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations must work on ensuring food supplying to the growing populations

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