Qatar is launching a programme with the aim that by 2023, 70% of vegetables consumed by the emirate’s inhabitants are grown locally, i.e. four times more than is produced currently (11-16% depending on the season currently grown in Qatar).
According to the CEO of the Hassad Food group, a pilot project, Zulal Oasis, has been a “big success”. For two years tomatoes were being grown in greenhouses west of Doha, without soil and using a recycled water irrigation system. Nasser Mohamed Al Hajri says that “the technology was perfectly adapted to the Qatari climate” and “the results were above and beyond expectations concerning yield and quality”. The group has decided to expand the project, hoping to increase local vegetable project within 8 years.
Whilst the project focused on tomatoes, the technique could be used for other vegetables such as cucumbers, aubergines and courgettes.
The CEO of Hassad Food explains that “the Zulal Oasis technology has a sustainable long-term production method” as harvest can take place year round, without taking into account the seasons.