Minister of Agriculture and Food meets with Qatari Minister to discuss smart agriculture cooperation plans

Minister Song Miryeong "Hope to Expand Korean Food Exports"

Song Miryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, met with Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Minister of the Qatar Autonomous Administration, in Seoul on the 11th to discuss cooperation plans for smart agriculture between the two countries. She also requested cooperation to expand exports of Korean agricultural and food products to Qatar.

Song Mi-ryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is taking a commemorative photo with Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Atiyah, Minister of the Qatar Autonomous Administration, on the 11th. Photo by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Qatar has an environment unsuitable for agriculture due to a lack of water and arable land, but it is recently innovating technology in the agricultural sector with the goal of expanding local production of vegetables and meat. The top export items from Korea to Qatar are corn oil and ramen, and recently exports of tofu, processed rice products, and kimchi have increased. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained that Qatar has high potential for cooperation not only in smart agriculture technology exchange but also as a target country for smart farm exports.

Minister Song mentioned the recent communication progress between the two countries for cooperation in the smart farm sector, saying, "I ask for special attention so that investment cooperation, including the establishment of an innovation valley in Qatar, can be concretized." She added, "The government is steadily supporting export companies to expand exports to Islamic countries such as Qatar," and expressed hope that "this meeting will serve as an opportunity to expand the entry of Korean food products into Qatar."