The festival was jointly inaugurated by Ahmed Salem al-Yafei, head of Guidance and Agricultural Services Section at the Agricultural Affairs Department, and Mubarak Fereesh, member of Central Municipal Council.
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Dr Mohamed Awad al-Serr, advisor to the ministry; Dr Mohamed Althaf, director of LuLu Group International and many other dignitaries were present.
The inaugural ceremony was also attended by representatives from various local farms.
Addressing the media, al-Yafei said the festival is meant to open the marketing door for the owners of Qatari farms. "We started the Qatar Farms and the Premium Qatari Vegetables programmes in 2016 with only eight farms, and today we have reached more than 250 farms. Sales from the Qatar Farms Programme has reached nearly 20,000 tonnes so far this year, and the Premium Qatari Vegetables Programme nearly 5,000 tonnes.
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“The main goal is to support the owners of local farms and the consumers, with the latter getting fresh and clean products examined by the ministry. We thank LuLu management for the support they provide to local farm owners and for supporting this programme.”
An official from the LuLu management explained that the campaign ‘Proudly from Qatar’ has been launched to announce that agricultural season has begun in Qatar and local farms are supplying large quantity of fresh vegetables to the market.
"The government support enables local farmers to offer high quality produce at very competitive prices especially during the season. Every year the LuLu Group celebrates the harvest season of local agricultural produce with high importance.
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“As a responsible retailer, it is our social commitment to ensure a sustainable market for local industries, which will not only help the industry but also further strengthen food security and the self-reliance initiatives of the nation. The event also aims to celebrate the great achievements of local farms in term of increasing the products hugely this year compared to the past years,” he added.
The festival offers various types of premium quality vegetables and fruits from local farms at competitive prices. As an ardent promoter of Qatari food and non-food products and agricultural produce throughout the year, the LuLu Group has also made available exclusive display of almost all prominent Qatari brands namely Baladna, Dandy, Ghadeer, Al Maha, Qbake, Athba, Rawa, qfm, Rayyan, Qatar Pafki, Pearl, Flora, Gourmet, Jerry Smith, Agrico Qatar, Paramount Agricole, Napoli Bakeries, Al Waha, Korean Bakeries, Al Manhal, Dana, Aqua Gulf, Safa, Sidra, Lusail, Doha and Napico.
The LuLu Group has long-standing close tie-up with the local farmers and has been the focal point in marketing the local agricultural produce for many years. Although Lulu Hypermarkets have been promoting Qatari products and farm produces for many years, however, recently they have been focusing more in this regard to ensure food security, as a social and economic commitment to the nation.