There is no threat to Qatar's food security from the siege imposed by the Saudi-led group, as the country is working to double local production of food items within a year of the beginning of the blockade, Minister of Municipality and Environment HE Mohammed bin Abdullah al Rumaihi has said.
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"As our neighbouring countries suddenly stopped supplies to Qatar by imposing the blockade, we immediately looked for alternative suppliers to fill the gap," Rumaihi told Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the recent air show in Doha.
"We opened our markets to new suppliers from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and several other countries to ensure long-term food supplies," he explained."Moreover, we are promoting local farmers and food processing factories to increase production of food items. We aim to double the local food production within a year of the blockade."
"Our efforts are bringing quick results, which is well visible from the jump in milk production and supply of local vegetables to the market," the minister said.
"We are in fact happy to find so many Asian countries and others across the world coming to our help after the blockade. As a result, access to our market -- which had been open only to our neighbours out of respect to the GCC and our brotherly countries -- was quickly opened to other countries," Rumaihi said.
"The country has benefited from the new arrangement as we now get cheaper food items, including milk, fruits, vegetables, poultry and meat. By doing so, we have also made direct trade connections with suppliers across the world, which has led to the elimination of middlemen from the supply chain," Rumaihi added.
By Maneesh Bakshi
