Over the years Qatar has made tremendous progress in its food security through significant increase in local production of foodstuffs, enhancing the capacity of its strategic reserves and diversifying its imports sources. With concerted government efforts and sound planning, the country is in a position to deal with any local or global interruptions in supply chains.
Qatar has been able to ensure supply of foodstuffs at prices affordable for all throughout 2022 even as the Russia-Ukraine conflict disrupted grain supply chains to the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. The country’s plans to ensure safe food for all during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, when the country received around 1.4 million visitors, were also successful.
The government is preparing a new national food security strategy for 2023-30. The new strategy, to be unveiled in March, envisages extending the strategic food reserves and increasing self-sufficiency rate in foodstuffs to deal with emerging challenges in the way of ensuring food security.
Officials have said that Qatar National Food Security Strategy 2023-30 is being designed to meet all the challenges to food security which might arise in future. It will take into account challenges resulting from the impact of climate change and conflicts. Currently, the strategic food reserves can meet the country’s food needs for six months, a duration which will be increased in the upcoming strategy.
While Qatar mostly imports foodstuffs, the country has worked to increase local production of dairy, poultry, and fruit and vegetables. The country is taking advantage of new agricultural technologies and increasing the use of greenhouse farming to further boost local production, despite a harsh summer climate.
Qatar’s self-sufficiency in vegetables increased from 20 percent in 2017 to 46 percent in 2022. The new strategy targets to take it to 70 percent.
Local fresh milk production rose from 28 percent of total demand in 2017 to 100 percent in 2022. Self-sufficiency in fish production is 77 percent, while the authorities target to increase it to 95 percent. A fish farming project with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes of fish a year has been launched, while two more projects are in the pipeline.
Qatar is aiming to be among the top 15 countries out of 113 countries listed in the Global Food Security Index. It secured first place among Arab countries and 24th globally in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2021, issued by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
