Washington, D.C.: On May 19th, the US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) hosted a virtual panel discussion via Zoom on “Qatar’s Vision for Sustainable Food Security: Environmental Considerations, Innovations, and Business Opportunities.”
The event featured His Excellency Eng. Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Qatar’s Minister of Municipality and Environment. Other distinguished panelists included: Mr. Hassan Al Mohannadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment; Mr. Masoud Jarallah Al Marri, Director of Food Security Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment; and Mr. Mohamed Badr Hashem Al-Sada, Chief Executive Officer at Hassad Food.
“We always cherish the US-Qatar relationship,” said HE Eng. Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Qatar’s Minister of Municipality and Environment. “We’ve had a number of talks about the possible cooperation or opportunities with US businesses.”
USQBC President Ambassador Anne Patterson delivered opening remarks and USQBC Managing Director Mohammed Barakat moderated the panel discussion. The event was attended by over 50 senior company representatives from both the United States and Qatar.
“The US and Qatar are already key trading partners and have much to offer one another in terms of food security,” said USQBC President Ambassador Anne Patterson. “By forging more connections between the US public and private sector organizations and their Qatari counterparts, we can help the United States expand its export portfolio while also helping Qatar address its food security issues.”
During the course of the discussion, HE the Minister and other panelists discussed the current state of Qatar’s food security situation, how the recent blockade has prepared Qatar for the Covid-19 pandemic, key environmental and sustainability initiatives, and opportunities for partnerships with US organizations.
“We would like to thank His Excellency the Minister and other esteemed panelists for their time and insight,” said USQBC Managing Director Mohammed Barakat. “We would also like to thank the Qatari Embassy in the US for their continuous support to highlight business opportunities in Qatar and look forward to future engagements like these.”
While Qatar is mainly seeking to address food security domestically, the country is a key investor in the agricultural sector in the U.S. with large investments both in dairy and feedstock production. The country also seeks to use its strategic geographic location, recent port infrastructure upgrades, and appealing business incentives to become a regional center for value-added processing of food and agricultural products.
The US-Qatar Business Council is the premier entity to facilitate trade and investment between the two countries and hosts many events to build business relationships between the two countries. Contact us at programs@usqbc.org if you are interested in food security partnership opportunities between the United States and the State of Qatar.