Yesterday (Sunday), in cooperation with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Ministry of Municipality, represented by the Agricultural Research Department, has organized the annual meetings of the Project Development of Sustainable Date Palm Production Systems in the GCC Countries, which lasts from 22 January to 25 January 2023.

Several national coordinators, technicians, and researchers from the Gulf countries, in addition to a number of experts and specialists from ICARDA have participated in the meetings.

Mr. Hamad Saket Al-Shammari, Director of the Agricultural Research Department at the Ministry of Municipality, highlighted, in his opening speech, the need for continuous communication and exchange of experiences between countries to achieve the most essential requirements of food security for the people of the region, with a view to facing all the difficulties facing the agricultural sector, most notably water scarcity.

He added that this annual meeting held in the State of Qatar will be based on significant aspects, most notably the scarcity of water and the best ways to reach satisfactory production in the light of limited water conditions, in addition to limiting and eradicating the spread of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and reducing the wastage of dates.

Mr. Al-Shammari also praised the annual meetings of the project, which lasted for five years to discuss and exchange experiences, pointing out that the most prominent achievements are to be reviewed in this meeting which lasts for three days in addition to discussing the project plan for 2023.

Source: Ministry of Municipality and Environment