Deputy Premier: Efforts to achieve food security to continue
Manama, Nov. 1 (BNA): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, has asserted that efforts will continue to achieve advanced levels of sustainable food security to ensure the sufficiency of local food products and meet the consumers' needs, which will raise the rate of food security, in line with the goals of the comprehensive development march spearheaded by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that all the initiatives launched by the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, focus on supporting local production in all sectors that achieve food security in a way that contributes to reducing dependence on food imported from abroad to meet local food needs, by enabling the private sector to play its role in this regard, in partnership with the public sector.
Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla made the statements while patronising here today the inauguration ceremony of the new mechanised farms of the General Poultry Company (GPC). GPC, which is the leading supplier of locally produced fresh table eggs in the Kingdom of Bahrain since 1977, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mumtalakat Bahrain, the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund.
Municipalities' Affairs and Agriculture Minister, Wael bin Nasser Al-Mubarak, officials, businessmen and guests were present.
On the occasion, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla praised the expansion of the General Poultry Company’s scope of business, thanks to which GPC will shift from traditional farming to advanced farming whose production systems use on the latest world-standard equipment and technologies, which would lead to the automation of production lines in an efficient manner, and improve the quality and speed of production.
The Deputy Premier added that GPC's expansion process is an integral part of the efforts to increase the production of table eggs in cooperation with private sector farms, which will contribute to achieving balance between local and imported eggs.
He added that the expansion process is in line with the kingdom's strategic plan for food security, which aims to raise the self-sufficiency rate to 35% by increasing production from 83 million eggs now to 120 million eggs next year, or by 44.5%.
He affirmed that food security is among the priorities of the Ministerial Committee for Development and Infrastructure Projects, noting that it is following up on its progress and initiatives, in coordination with the Ministry of Municipalities' Affairs and Agriculture, especially regarding the allocation of land necessary to engage in investment activities related to animal, plant and fish food security.
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed thanks and appreciation to General Poultry Company's Board of Directors' the Chairman and members, as well as its executive management and workers for the tremendous efforts they are exerting to enhance the kingdom's food security and develop the made-in-Bahrain fresh table egg production.
The inauguration of the new automated farms coincides with the 45th anniversary of General Poultry Company. GPC cooperated with two reputed international companies specialised in the mechansied farms technology, which provided the integrated technology for the project, within a healthy and safe environment for the poultry.
Tamkeen's Chief Executive Officer, Khalid Al-Rumaihi, delivered a statement in which he expressed thanks and appreciation to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure for patronising the ceremony, and for the constant interest of the Ministerial Committee for Development Projects and Infrastructure in efforts to enhance the kingdom's food security.
He added that the expansion will increase GPC's contributions to the kingdom's food security.
GPC is run mainly Bahraini staff, as the Bahrainisation rate has reached 79% to ensure that the highest levels of food security are achieved.
GPC's Board of Directors Chairman, Sami Mohammed Zainal, expressed pride in the company's achievements, affirming that it will continue working with Tamkeen in order to implement other initiatives aiming at increasing its contributions to the kingdom's economic growth.
