Municipality Ministry to integrate small-scale livestock farms into red meat value chain

DOHA: As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen national food security, the Ministry of Municipality (MoM) has unveiled a key initiative aimed at i...

DOHA: As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen national food security, the Ministry of Municipality (MoM) has unveiled a key initiative aimed at integrating small-scale livestock farms into the country’s red meat value chain.

The strategy seeks to establish direct partnerships with private sector operators, thereby boosting sustainable local production, enhancing self-sufficiency, and supporting the long-term resilience of the agriculture sector.

Assistant Director of the Food Security Department at the Ministry of Municipality, Hamad Hadi Al-Hajri, said the project will ensure that small producers are linked with private sector operators who can absorb their output directly, thus strengthening the supply of red meat in the country. Speaking to Al Rayan TV recently, he said that efforts are underway to encourage farm owners to diversify into secondary products, such as dairy, alongside upcoming initiatives in aquaculture.

Al-Hajri highlighted that Qatar has already launched a fish farming project under the previous national food security strategy and is now preparing to introduce two additional fish-farming projects in the near future. These initiatives aim to diversify sources of animal protein and enhance self-sufficiency.

Al-Hajri noted that the ministry is also transitioning from open-field farming to modern greenhouse cultivation, with support mechanisms and incentive programmes aimed at boosting economic productivity for farmers. He highlighted the importance of resilience, recalling how Qatar’s food security system successfully dealt with COVID-19 pandemic and managed major events such as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and supply pressures during the Iran-Israel conflict in June.