The official emphasised the necessity of setting up a permanent merger crisis committee and developing a plan for identifying substitutes for import.

A uniform policy for the acquisition of strategic products including food and medicine has been pushed for by Qatar Chamber chairman, local media reported.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani called on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to adopt the policy during a consultative meeting between ministers of commerce, heads of unions, and chambers of commerce and industry in Muscat.

The Qatari official pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the container crisis which affected the food security in the GCC and drove up the cost of grains, fertiliser, and medicine.

He also called for the establishment of a permanent emergency crisis committee as well as the development of a plan to ind alternative imports to mitigate such issues in future.

Despite the global crises, a Global Food Security report published last year said Qatar topped Arab countries in terms of food access and confirmed its rank as the second most food secure country in the region.

In terms of Food System and Economy Resilience Ranking, Qatar came fifth place in the Arab world, with the United Arab Emirates taking the lead in the list.

Qatar became more self-sufficient during the 2017 GCC crisis, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt imposed an illegal air, land and sea blockade on the Gulf nation.

The Gulf state relied on imported goods for more than 80% of its food prior to the political crisis. The dispute and subsequent blockade prompted authorities in Doha to provide alternative products for its population.

Qatar’s Hassad Food announced plans in March last year, to satisfy the local market needs for grains, oilseeds and wheat under a strategic action plan to avoid any shortage in the global supply chain.