A number of businessmen praised the project to build facilities for buildings and food security stores in Hamad Port, on an area of 53 hectares, at an estimated cost of 1.6 billion riyals, which is expected to start its operations in the second quarter of next year, where a percentage of 85% of the project that works on storing, processing and refining three main food commodities: sugar and rice in addition to edible oils, stressing that this step plays a major role in achieving food security for the country in the first degree and then the region as a whole, by exploiting these stored commodities to meet The needs of the state, and then work to export the surplus of it to the nearby markets, given its great need for these products, which will undoubtedly enhance the sources of income.
While some of them stressed the need to involve the private sector in managing this giant logistical edifice, which is the largest in the region, by giving national producers the opportunity to be present in it and launch their own factories at home, the goal of which is to work on recycling oil and sugar products as well as rice. To produce other commodities important for the local food market, revealing that the state is planning to use these facilities to strengthen its partnership with representatives of the private sector in Doha, as part of its planning to achieve its future vision of 2030.
Strategic stock
Speaking to the East, Mr. Mohammed Al-Obaidly, member of the Qatar Chamber’s Board of Directors and Chairman of the Chamber’s Agricultural Committee, mentioned the project to build facilities for buildings and food security stores at the level of Hamad Port, stressing its great importance for the food security sector in the country, by raising the level of the local strategic stocks in rice and sugar in addition to Edible oils, in large quantities, make the stocks of these commodities the largest in the region, which will play an important role in meeting our needs, especially since the stored volume of foodstuffs is sufficient to meet the demands of 3 million consumers.
Al-Obaidli added that Doha needed such a project that would greatly enhance our food capabilities during the next stage, in a group of commodities, not just mentioned, as we would be able to exploit all of the rice, oils and sugar in the production of other foodstuffs, in case the private sector was involved in Running this logistical edifice, which is unique in the region, and giving it the opportunity to launch its own factories to refine these products and make use of them in offering many other commodities.
Meet the needs
Mr. Jaber Al-Mansoori, CEO of Al-Maraya Exhibitions Company, said, “The warehouse sector is one of the basics for the success of any investment project, and therefore the facilities of the buildings and stores of food security dedicated to storing, processing, refining and processing three main food commodities (sugar, rice, and edible oils) would play a major role. In meeting the needs of the local market and then covering the requirements of the regional and global markets, indicating that these storage facilities will use the most advanced and environmentally friendly technology in the world to carry out their work with the necessary ease and speed.He explained in this context that Hamad Port, which is considered one of the largest infrastructure projects, actively contributes to transforming Doha as a global trading center that has its fingerprints in promoting the movement of the international economy, indicating that these storage facilities are being constructed according to the best international engineering lines, and in line with well-known standards. Al-Mansouri stressed the importance of the private sector having an active role in this vital project to launch more accompanying projects that support and enhance the success of storage facilities, such as working on providing equipment for packaging and packaging.
Important axis
For his part, Mr. Fahd Ali Ahmed Buhandi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Automatic Rice Bakery Factory, said that this project is very important for the local food market, as well as the national economy, which will benefit from our reliance on these stores and turn them into an important hub for financing the various markets of the region with these products and other derivative goods. One of them, stressing the success of Doha in exploiting this facility and accessing its products to many countries, and it will be diversified in the sources of our local economy’s income. Buhendi added that Qatar has all the logistical capabilities that allow it to exploit these warehouses to enhance local income and reduce dependence on our wealth of liquefied natural gas, pointing to our possession of ports and ships that allow us to deliver these goods to any market and in the quantities required, which is what should be done. We have to use it to take advantage of the opportunities available in the markets near us.
Engage the private sector
In turn, Mr. Nasser Ahmed Al-Khalaf praised the project to build facilities for buildings and stores of food security at the level of Hamad Port, at a cost of $ 1.6 billion and an area of 53 hectares, stressing the great benefits that this logistical edifice will have on food security in the country. He saw that these warehouses can benefit us even from the side of the food industry in the event that the private sector is involved in running them, because the goal of businessmen is always commercial and giving them the opportunity to be present in these stores will allow them to be developed and turned into an important center for the manufacture of food products in the country.
Al-Khalaf clarified his words by saying that allocating these warehouses for rice and oils in addition to sugar will serve the country in terms of filling its needs, but the presence of private manufacturers will lead to the exploitation of these goods in the process of producing more other products such as animal feed for rice, which means that this logistical edifice will not serve The local market is in the mentioned goods only, but in another group of commodities that can be derived from them, confirming that the authorities responsible for managing these warehouses plan to involve the private sector in its management once it is delivered in the second quarter of next year.
