DOHA: Qatar is expected to achieve about 50 to 70 percent self-sufficiency in vegetable production by 2030, by which time 1,000 hectares of land, or 10,000 acres, will be under cultivation, says a senior official of state-backed food company.
Hamad Hadi Al Hajri said yesterday that by the target year Qatar will be able to produce all kinds of vegetables by using modern technology, the one which is compatible with the Qatari climate and greenhouse based and does not need water.
Al Hajri is board member of Zulal Oasis, a subsidiary Hassad Food Company.
Set up in 2013, Zulal inked a deal with a Spanish company to provide a technology of vegetable production that suited Qatar. Since 2013, the technology has been tried and used in Qatar in two seasons. Zulal has a greenhouse in Al Shahaniya which in future can be used as a laboratory or a training facility, said Al Hajri.
He said Zulal will only provide technical support to the private sector to invest in agricultural production and had no intent of competing with private players.
It has been successful in producing a record 44kg of tomatoes in a space of 1sqm in its greenhouse. Also, based on production in the model greenhouse project, vegetable production on average can reach up to 37kg per sqm.
Al Hajri was talking to reporters yesterday during a field trip to announce an open day for farmers.
The company has invited local farmers, specialists and investors in the field of agriculture to visit the premises during the Zulal Oasis open day on Thursday at Al Shahanyiah farm.
This pilot research and development project aims to overcome the challenges facing the local agriculture sector such as, high temperature and humidity and lack of ground water as well as arable lands. Farmers using the integrated production system developed by Zulal Oasis will be able to produce high quality vegetables throughout the year, regardless of the season.
Nasser Mohamed Al Hajri, Chairman and Managing Director of Hassad Food, said: “We launched Zulal Oasis back in 2013, through a partnership between Hassad Food and Oasis Agrotechnology, a consortium led by Primaflor Group (the leading greenhouse and production technology company in Europe), to test and adapt the company’s technology to the local climate”.
“We are pleased to announce that this pilot project has achieved great success. The technology proved to be perfectly suited for Qatar’s climate; it also exceeded expectations regarding the yield and quality, producing more than 37kg per sqm of highest quality European Standard”.
“The Zulal Oasis technology is a long term sustainable production model, with the capability of producing high grade crops 12 months a year regardless of the season, since the technology was developed as an integrated farming system that operates efficiently by utilising the local climate conditions, while efficiently using and recycling 100 percent of the irrigation water”.
“We would like to invite the local farmers, investors and agriculture sector specialists to join us for a site visit at the Headquarters of Zulal Oasis in Al Shahaniya during the open day on 27th August to learn more about the new technology we developed to support the local economy”.
The new generation of hydroponic greenhouses tops the achievements of Zulal Oasis; with its long-life strong structure, state of the art design and technological advances makes this agricultural technology the most advanced, efficient and suitable for arid climates.
The greenhouse design is based upon a comprehensive concept, using cutting-edge technology such as the worldwide-patented crop system; New Growing System (NGS), which is the most advanced hydroponic system in the world. NGS has several state of the art advantages such as, not using soil or substrate materials for agriculture, natural self-purification, maximum development of roots and 100 percent recirculating nutrient solution.
The NGS system provides comprehensive standard irrigation system which makes it by far the most efficient for farmers in terms of productivity, strength and health of plants, saving water and fertilizers, as well as uniformity and quality of the products.
The Dry Air Cooling System (DACS) is an automated smart climate control system used by Zulal Oasis for cooling the greenhouses. It operates with the highest efficiency in terms of uniformly cooling all the parameters of the greenhouse regardless of the outside temperature. The DACS technology has been adapted to the local weather and humidity, to provide the optimum environment for plants throughout the year. This unique system consumes no water for operation and provides no moisture.
The Zulal Oasis technology is financially viable, as the cost of production is highly competitive and lower than imported products of the same quality. It also allows diversification in the produced crops regardless of the season to meet the market demand.
Zulal Oasis also offers a complete service including design, planning & engineering, construction and manufacturing of greenhouses components, project management, technical advice, farmers training, input supply & maintenance, farm operation as well as marketing and distribution of products.
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