The high participation of local farms and companies during Qatar’s International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ) and International Environmental Exhibition (EnviroteQ) 2021 is seen as one of the results of the Qatari government’s self-sufficiency efforts, an official of the Qatar-Indonesia Business Council (QIBC) has said.
QIBC president Farhan al-Sayed lauded the oganisers for gathering a large participation of local and international companies at the event, which concludes on Saturday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
“The State of Qatar, through the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, was quick to respond to the challenges of the economic blockade, which opened opportunities for the private and government sectors to initiate efforts towards food security and self-sufficiency," al-Sayed told Gulf Times.
“Because of these initiatives, Qatar witnessed growth in the number of manufacturing facilities and local suppliers, as well as an increase in the number of farms, thus providing the country with a stable supply of agricultural products like poultry, meats, fruits and vegetables, and a wide range of dairy products.”
He said Qatar was able to accomplish “a great achievement and progress in such a short time”, which reflects the "resiliency of the economy and the reliability of the country’s private and public sectors".
As QIBC president, al-Sayed also lauded the participation of the embassy of Indonesia as well as the presence of other Doha-based embassies in AgriteQ. He said the Southeast Asian nation “is committed” to boost its food and agricultural exports to Qatar in light of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which Qatar is hosting in 2022.
Earlier, Indonesian ambassador Ridwan Hassan expressed his country’s “readiness and keenness” to participate in the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to the make it a “successful event”.
“We have around 17,000 Indonesians in Qatar, and they are a very active, engaging and dynamic community. For many times, our community groups in Qatar have been invited to participate or just to show their performance in several sports events in Qatar.
“That is a recognition from the Qatari authority for the Indonesian community living in Qatar. So, anytime the organising committee of the World Cup needs us, we are more than happy to assist,” Hassan noted.