Qatari, Mauritanian officials show interest in Ethiopian food crops

Addis Ababa, November 19, 2024 (FBC) – Officials from Qatar and Mauritania have shown keen interest to expand trade exchange and explore immense investment potentials from the rapidly transforming agriculture sector of the country.

The World without Hunger conference convened in Addis Ababa from November 5-7, 2024 where Ethiopia used the opportunity to showcase its rapid transformation of the agriculture sector to ensure food security and even export food items to other countries.

Ethiopian agriculture which is undergoing extensive reform like many others, has seen significant transformation, including the cultivation of irrigated wheat and other food items. Ethiopia, once a wheat-importing country, has now commenced exporting wheat to neighboring countries, it was indicated.  Approached by ENA, the Qatari and Mauritanian officials have observed Ethiopia’s potentials for trade cooperation, investment and tourism with their respective countries.

Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Environment Food Security Department Director, Masoud Jarallah Al-Marri witnessed Ethiopia’s rapid agricultural transformation and he noted the potential Qatar seeks to achieve its food security through trade exchange.

Ethiopia has transitioned from importing wheat to become an exporter, thanks to its natural resources. This transformation paves the way for greater cooperation between Ethiopia and food-importing countries, creating substantial trade opportunities, Masoud stated.

“Ethiopia has transformed from wheat importing country to an exporting country due to its natural resources, and this of course opens the way for more cooperation with food importing countries (Qatar) so that there are good trade opportunities,” Masoud said.

Masoud further remarked, Qatar heavily relies on food imports, so any favorable opportunity for trade exchange, especially in the field of food security, is welcomed by the State of Qatar.

He highlighted the natural resources available in Ethiopia as significant opportunities for cooperation and investment.

The private sector in Qatar is actively seeking trade opportunities to enhance food system, particularly for storable goods, he said.

Qatar is not an agrarian country, its food security system relies on producing certain goods domestically and importing others, he added.

“The State of Qatar relies heavily on food imports from abroad, and therefore whenever opportunities arise in the field of food security, of course, the State of Qatar welcomes any opportunity that is favorable for trade exchange, especially in the field of food security,” he noted.

Masoud further said that Qatar has developed a national strategy for food security, focusing on producing non-storable goods locally and importing storable goods from friendly countries.

Mohamed Ben Yameen, Advisor to the Mauritania’s Minister of Agriculture, also praised Ethiopia’s agricultural renaissance, its role in achieving food security. “We also noticed a great renaissance in Ethiopia, especially within the framework of its open policy with African countries.”

The advisor emphasized that Ethiopia, like other African nations, possesses vast resources and enormous potential for trade exchange, and investment, which could help eliminate hunger.

“We also learned about the enormous capabilities of Ethiopia in terms of tourism, which will contribute to promoting agricultural tourism and how we can combine agriculture with tourism and these are great potentials in Ethiopia,” he added.

He stressed the importance of using modern techniques, technology, agricultural mechanization, modern fertilizer, and improved seeds, and sharing these resources between African countries and agricultural research institutes to boost productivity and combat hunger.

Currently, productivity is low in many African countries, and by introducing modern technology, the advisor suggested: “We can reduce manual labor and achieve agricultural development and increase both productivity and quality.”