Doha: The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) yesterday announced that it would launch a programme to promote local farm products and support local farms.
The ‘Daman’ (guarantee) programme, which will be launched in October and will continue through June 2021, will see purchase of local farm produce through a pre-contract.
The Director of Agriculture Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Yusuf Khalid Al Khulaifi, said Daman programme specifically aims to market farmers’ products by purchasing and marketing them. The programme has been launched in collaboration with the Mahaseel company.
In an online press conference held yesterday by the Ministry, Al Khulaifi said the Ministry has undertaken several initiatives to support the products of Qatari farms, including the Agricultural Product Yards, the Distinguished Product Programme and Qatar Farms.
The Ministry last year also launched a special programme for the purchase of local products in cooperation with Mahaseel company.
“The programme will be launched in October and will continue until the end of June 2021, as the programme is prepared in the second season but with a different version. New improvements have been added to this programme, which include a contract to purchase farmers’ production of first and second-class vegetables at suitable prices. This will achieve part of the Ministry’s strategy of extending the agricultural season, and focusing on the production of major crops at certain times during the year,” Al Khulaifi said.
“Specific requirements have been established in this programme,” he said, adding the purchase will be unified, away from market fluctuations, which will reassure local farm owners in marketing their products during the programme period.
Mohamed Al Ghaithani, Mahaseel’s General Manager, said more than 15 million kg of locally-produced vegetables were marketed in the country during the last period. Al Ghaithani around 180 farms benefited during the last programme period.
“The programme (Daman) allows the farmer to pre-contract on certain quantities according to the cultivated areas and varieties,” he said.
The new programme includes the contracting of the farmer with the Mahaseel company on a number of vegetables and leaf vegetables.