Farms: Qatari farmers are refusing to let the country's desert soil stop them producing food

http://www.tanmarket.com - Qatari farmers are refusing to let the country's desert soil stop them producing food, with one company opting to make their own fertile soil to grow mushrooms. SHOWS: AL KHOR, QATAR (RECENT - NOVEMBER 6, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SHELVES CONTAINING PLANTED MUSHROOMS 2. WORKERS HARVESTING MUSHROOMS 3. VARIOUS OF MUSHROOM 4. HEAD OF AGRICULTURE PROJECTS AT AGRICO COMPANY, NASSER AL-KHALAF, AND MANAGER OF THE MUSHROOM FARM, OMAR HAQY, TALKING 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF AGRICULTURE PROJECTS AT AGRICO COMPANY, NASSER AL-KHALAF, SAYING: "We started mushroom production in 2016. We set up a compost yard. Production goes through several phases, the first is soil preparation. The soil is composed of hay, agriculture gypsum and bird manure that are mixed together, fermented and then pasteurised. It is then ready to be used in the rooms. Soil preparation takes four weeks and then we need another four weeks for mushrooms to grow." 6. WORKER CUTTING MUSHROOM 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF AGRICULTURE PROJECTS AT AGRICO COMPANY, NASSER AL-KHALAF, SAYING: "We produce one tonne of mushrooms daily. Starting next year, we plan to produce between three and four tonnes. We have a market share of about 30 percent of the local mushroom market. We usually export 20 percent of our production to neighbouring countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia." 8. HAQY AND NASSER TALKING 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MANAGER OF THE MUSHROOM FARM, OMAR HAQY, SAYING: "Mushroom is produced in temperature-controlled rooms anywhere in the world, whether in northern parts of the world, in the south, in the desert. The required temperature is 18 degrees. They grow in a controlled environment in insulated rooms. The cooling cost is an obstacle in some countries. In Gulf countries we have an advantage because energy is relatively cheap. However, farms in Gulf countries have additional costs due to importing most of the material they need." 10. SOIL BEING PREPARED IN THE COMPOST YARDr 11. MUSHROOM SEEDS BEING DROPPED INTO THE SOIL 12. VARIOUS OF COMPOST ON THE CONVEYOR BELT 13. CHAIRMAN OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, AHMED AL-KHALEF, READING 14. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CHAIRMAN OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, AHMED AL-KHALEF, SAYING: "Agriculture production is the most difficult type of food production for various reasons. In Qatar, the area suitable for agriculture is limited, the climate is not suitable for farming and the water is salty and scarce. Traditionally, Qataris were not farmers." 15. VARIOUS OF MUSHROOM PACKAGING PLANT DOHA, QATAR (FILE - MARCH 16, 2013) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 16. VARIOUS OF FARM IN NORTH OF QATAR 17. CHILLI TREES IN FARM 18. VARIOUS OF FARMER CARRYING DRY GRASS 19. MORE OF CHILI TREES IN FARM STORY: Farmers in Qatar are making their own fertile soil to overcome the country's arid desert conditions and have even started growing mushrooms. Agrico's mushroom farm, 50km north of Doha, is now producing a tonne of button mushrooms per day in soil they make on site. Until now importing high quality soil was the biggest single cost factor in growing mushrooms in the Gulf state. "The soil is composed of hay, agriculture gypsum and bird manure that are mixed together, fermented and then pasteurised. It is then ready to be used in the rooms. Soil preparation takes four weeks and then we need another four weeks for mushrooms to grow," Agrico's head of agriculture projects, Nasser al-Khalaf said. The company hopes to defy the tradition in Gulf States of depending on food imports, investing around 10 million Qatari riyals ($2.75 million) in a 10,000 square-metre farm at Al Khor. "We produce one tonne of mushrooms daily. Starting next year, we plan to produce between three and four tonnes. We have a market share of about 30 percent of the local mushroom market. We usually export 20 percent of our production to neighbouring countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia," Khalaf said. Qatar's climate does not make farming easy, with extreme extreme heat, high soil salinity and little fresh water. The chairman of International Projects Development Company, the mother company for Agrico, said growing food in Qatar is a challenge. "Agriculture production is the most difficult type of food production for various reasons. In Qatar the area suitable for agriculture is limited, the climate is not suitable for farming and the water is salty and scarce. Traditionally, Qataris were not farmers," said Ahmed al-Khalef. In addition to mushrooms, the company produces pesticide-free tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and zucchini, mostly in green houses. The production of these home grown crops is one way to ensure that the country becomes more self-sufficient in food. Recently Qatar announced plans to produce most of its food domestically, by spending massively to boost crop yields and convert semi-desert into agricultural land.