Qatar: organics on the increase

In Quatar, rising demand for organics means expansion of organic agriculture, higher local production and fewer imports.

From articles in the Gulf Times and fructidor.com we learn that there is substantial growth in demand for organic products in Qatar and throughout the Gulf region. To meet this demand, initiatives have been launched to develop the production locally of all kinds of fruit and vegetables. One farm in Quatar devotes 12 hectares to the cultivation  of organic products and is planning to increase its area to 10,000 hectares within 10 years. Th latest technologies are used to increase production (tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers) and to diversify (melons, strawberries). They will also grow papaya and mango. These locally grown organic products compete with imports from Holland, Spain and Morocco and Qatar has started to reduce the imported volumes of tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms by about 5%.