More and more people are keen to invest in Qatar’s booming agriculture sector, seeing it has witnessed significant gains annually and is poised to further expand in the years to come. This is what prominent Qatari agriculturist Nasser Ahmed al-Khalaf told gulf-times.com.
“The agriculture sector is still booming in Qatar and I see more people are interested to invest in this sector,” he said. Al-Khalaf, managing director of Qatari company Agrico, has been encouraging compatriot entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture, especially in hydroponics. Through a research and development (R&D) facility established by Agrico, Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco) and Yara International ASA (Norway), he said they foresee an increase in yield and cultivated areas in the country.
The three companies collaborated and signed an agreement in 2018 to put up a facility in Qatar to test greenhouse technologies, nutrient management and fertigation solutions aimed at increasing the local vegetable production.
“The result of the R&D will be issued soon,” said al-Khalaf, who previously noted that the development of local farms in Qatar is also unlocking their full potential that would further increase yields and meet the growing demand for fresh produce.
“Agrico, in the past four years, has played a significant role in supporting those investors. In 2019, the company developed three different farms with a cultivated area of 150,000sqm, fully operational today,” said al-Khalaf. “We have proven in the past years that not only can we grow in Qatar but we also made the agriculture business profitable (with Mahaseel marketing company) both locally and regionally as well,” al-Khalaf stressed.
He said the Agrico farm in Al Khor and the other farms it developed using state-of-the-art technology are now producing the year round, even during the summer season, which contributes to Qatar’s vegetable consumption needs.
