Qatar will build strategic food security facilities and warehouses at Hamad Port having capacity of providing stockpile of processed and stored food for 3 million people for two years as well as be able to export food stuff to regional countries.
The New Port Project (NPP) Steering Committee and AlJaber Engineering (JEC) yesterday signed a contract in this regard for designing and constructing food security facilities and warehouses at Hamad Port at a cost of QR1.6bn.
On this occasion, the Minister for Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti said that #Qatar viewed food security as an integral part of its national security.
'This new project springs from the wisdom and insightful vision of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the importance of the strategic stockpile for food security and giving it a very important place in the country's strategies and plans and at the top of its priorities.
The Minister said that food security facilities and warehouses project at Hamad Port would provide a stockpile for 3 million people for two years for each commodity being processed and stored. 'The project will be constructed in accordance with best international practices and standards.
Responding to a question, the minister said that the government intended that Hamad Port be able to cater to 30 percent of regional trade. 'These food security facilities and warehouses will not only serve domestic needs but the food processed and stored here will also be exported to other regional countries, he added.
Regarding import of raw food material for the project, the minister said that all arrangements had been made that would be disclosed at appropriate time.
Another important feature of the project will be a specialised facility for the 'recycling of waste products arising from the processing of basic commodities to create animal feed.
The facilities of the project will be developed and constructed on an area of approximately 53 hectares (about 530,000 square meters). The project consists of specialised facilities for the procesing, manufacturing, and refining of rice, raw sugar, and edible oils. These products will be available for local, regional and global use.
The project also includes bulk storage silos with their associated infrastructure and conveyance equipment, in addition to the fundamental structures fully equipped for the project associated operations of handling, processing, packaging, reloading, and transport.
Those facilities will operate as a fully functional standalone terminal, while 500 meters of the wharf of the port will be dedicated for the berthing and discharging of the ships of this new project.
Mohammed Sultan Al Jaber, Chairman of AlJaber Group of Companies thanked the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the New Port Project Steering Committee for trusting AlJaber Engineering with the design and construction of the 'Strategic Food Security Facilities Project.
'Being a Qatari company, we are proud to have been chosen for this strategic project for the State of Qatar. AlJaber Group of Companies shall provide full support to the project team to ensure high standards of quality and delivery of time, he added.
As per the agreement, those food security facilities and warehouses will be built and equipped in collaboration with international consultants, observing best international practices and standards for manufacturing and quality such as German Ipro and Global Port two prestigious global companies in the field of storage and world ports design.
There will also be work with global foodstuff processing and storage companies, including Bühler; a leading global Swiss-German food industries company, German BIA; the world's top in designing and constructing raw sugar plants, sugar packaging and storage, and C.M Bernardini; leading global Italian company specialized in the design and supply of equipment and plants for oils and fats industry.
The signing ceremony was attended by Ambassador of #Switzerland Etienne Thevoz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of #Germany Hans-Udo Muzel and Ambassador of #Italy Pasquale Salzano.
18 July
MENAFN
