HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater participated in the 6th International Economic Summit of Russia and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries (Kazan Summit, 2014) hosted by the city of Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan.
In a speech before the event which concluded Friday, Al Khater said that Qatar, a net importer of food, was well aware of the risks of fluctuations in commodity prices, the disruption of food supplies, the impact that such challenges could have on the welfare of the people, and the phenomenon of population growth which adds another dimension to these challenges.
HE the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce said that the State of Qatar established Qatar National Food Security Program, an institutional sustainable and economic framework, in order to address these challenges, and has been continuing its tireless efforts in this regard.
The great efforts that preceded this summit brought about visible outcomes and reinforced unified concrete perspectives needed by the food security issues being discussed in this summit, he added.
HE Al Khater said that the meeting discussed and exchanged views on food security.
“The current difficulties associated with ensuring access to safe and healthy food supply, which are likely to become one of the most challenges in the coming years, requires from us to develop plans and programs to cope with them in order to secure the future and well-being of our peoples, particularly those living in emerging economies” he stressed.
He said that concerted efforts and exchange of experiences between the countries would have a positive impact in maximizing benefit and finding innovative solutions to these issues, while calling for the private sector’s role in achieving the desired objectives, coupled with the role of governments in creating the right climate to strengthen that role.
HE Al Khater urged all the participants to study and discuss ways of creating opportunities and partnerships as well as joint work to come out with initiatives and programs to develop a road map to achieve food security.
Source : Qatar News Agency
