In cooperation with Mahaseel company, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) has announced the launch of Daman program to support local farms through pre-contracting for purchasing their vegetables produce for 2020/2021 season, and helping farms set their production plan according to the needs of the local market.

During a press conference held today via video conference, Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the MME Yousuf Khalid Al Khulaifi called on farmers to initiate registration for early pre-contracting with Mahaseel company to set their production plans, ensure sale at high guarantee prices and achieve distinct income for their farms, noting that registration is open until October 31, 2020.

Al Khulaifi emphasized that MME assured farmers that Mahaseel will receive their crops from first and second class of vegetables throughout the season at fixed guarantee rates, regardless of market prices, paving the way for local farmers to draw their production and marketing plan in light of ensuring a profitable return for them.

The Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department explained that Daman program aims to direct the crops from basic vegetables that support food security, and encourage farmers to increase vegetables production under a fixed guarantee price throughout the season, and to ensure stable income for farms regardless of price fluctuations. In addition, it encourages farmers to produce more than a loop of the main types of vegetables to achieve the largest possible benefit from the program and finally increase investment in the agricultural field in light of ensuring stimulating prices for marketing production.

Al Khulaifi pointed out that the Ministry was keen to diversify the programs that market the products of Qatari farms, including agricultural product spaces, distinctive product, Qatar farms and others. He explained that Daman program's new phase will be launched in October 2020 to continue until the end of June 2021, as new improvements have been added to it, including part of the ministry's strategy to extend the agricultural season and focus on producing major crops at certain times during the year.

He added that specific requirements have been established in this program, according to which the purchase will be unified away from the market fluctuations, which makes the owners of local farms in a state of reassurance to market their products during the period of the program. He pointed out that the Ministry, in cooperation with Mahaseel, developed another program to buy vegetables produced in the summer at attractive prices starting from July this year until the end of the summer season, with the aim of extending the agricultural season and encouraging productive farms for more production.

General Manager of Mahaseel Mohamed Ali Al Ghaithani explained that more than 15 million kilograms of vegetables were marketed from productive farms in the State of Qatar during the past period, confirming that more than 180 farms benefited from the program's services.

Al Ghaithani also noted that Daman program allows farmers to pre-contract specific quantities according to the cultivated areas and varieties, taking into account the operational costs, types and grades of products, as well as giving them the opportunity to market their products better and help them increase the cultivated areas and their productivity.

(Source: Qatar News Agency - QNA)

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Khadiza Begum

Content Writer

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