Qatar scales back ambitions amid financial constraints

After initially saying it hoped Qatar would produce 70% of its own food by 2023, the QNFSP is now aiming for 40% domestic production. The man who was its driving force, Fahad al-Attiya, has also stepped away.

Experts see that as a sensible decision.

Jim Krane, a Gulf energy analyst, calls the food security programme “wrong-headed”.

“The programme’s investment into Qatari agriculture never made any sense,” he says.

Mr Krane explains that the current burning of natural gas to power groundwater desalination plants that can produce water to irrigate crops grown in the desert is exacerbating Qatar’s already huge carbon emissions.

“It only adds to Qatari embarrassment as the owner of the world’s largest per-capita [carbon] footprint,” he adds.

However, Jonathan Smith, director of communications for the QNFSP, said it had always been its intention that the desalination systems would be powered solely by renewable energy, and not gas.

He added that the 40% domestic production scenario “uses the exact same amount of land that is in production today and one third less water to deliver five times more food in some of our most strategically important categories”.

Mr Smith also stressed that Mr Attiya had “finished the job he was given, presented the National Plan, won approval for its implementation and worked around-the-clock to see that an implementation unit was empowered and put in place”.