DOHA: Qatar yesterday announced the launch of a massive poultry project with the participation of the private sector and said this was the first step towards involving private players in the nation’s ambitious food security programme.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce said it had invited bids to set up an integrated poultry project with an annual production capacity of 40,000 tonnes of poultry meat and 7,500 tonnes of eggs.
The project is to cover an area of 5.7 square kilometres in what would be a sprawling Agricultural City that would make crucial contribution to feeding the nation and filling the gap between demand and supply.
But the ministry didn’t give the cost of the project and hinted that while the land was being allocated by the state, several private Qatari companies will own and manage the project.
An interaction of the ministry with 23 Qatari companies to discuss the growing demand for poultry products was held last December 4. The firms agreed with the proposal of setting up a poultry project of world-scale and standards and to chip in with investment.
Once completed, the poultry production facility will operate with world-class standards, and it must reach its full production capacity within two years of start-up. Poultry meat production facility will cover a lion’s share of the area of the project — 4.5sqkm out of 5.7sqkm, the ministry said in a release.
The hatcheries will be earmarked one sqkm of area whereas 200,000sqm of land will be allotted for chicken breeding, 90,000sqm for grinding and mixing fodder and 8,000sqm for packaging. “It will be an ultra-modern poultry project and go a long way in meeting local demand,” the ministry said.
The pricing of the products will be competitive and product quality world-class, according to the ministry. The Peninsula
