KUWAIT CITY, Jan 13 : A delegation from the US Embassy in Kuwait toured several farms in the Wafra Agricultural Area along with the Deputy Director General of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) and the Director of the Wafra Agricultural Area Department Mohsen Al-Mutairi, and several PAAAFR employees. According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Farmers Union Jaber Al-Azmi, the delegation was briefed on the Kuwaiti experience in reclaiming and producing farms and the methods of agriculture followed.

The visiting delegation praised the quality and intensity of local plant production and the great efforts exerted by the Kuwaiti farmers. Meanwhile, the Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Dr. Jassim Al-Ostad issued a decision to support the local agricultural product by allocating a site in Ardiya affiliated with PAAAFR dedicated only to holding auctions for selling local produce under the supervision of various state agencies represented by PAAAFR, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, and the Ministry of Social Affairs to support, organize, and protect Kuwaiti farmers.

The decision included the formation of a committee with members from various state agencies, the Kuwait Farmers Union, and the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies. This committee will be tasked with overcoming the obstacles and challenges facing the marketing and sale of local agricultural products, establishing an electronic link system between PAAAFR and the Ministry of Social Affairs to ensure the extent of the cooperative societies’ commitment to ministerial decisions regarding purchasing the local product. The decision also stipulated that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry would supervise the organization of the auction held at the Ardiya site, set a minimum cost for the local agricultural produce in support of Kuwaiti farmers, and achieve food security by encouraging farmers to produce and meet the needs of the local market.

By Abdel Nasser Al-Islami
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff