Qatar Son 333
July 30th, 2007, 04:15 PM
DOHA • An agronomist working with Qatar University says that he does not subscribe to the theory that Qatar's soil is unfit for agriculture.
Dr Mohamed Hesam Abu Nasr said yesterday that the soil in Qatar can be easily treated to make it fertile.
The peak summer months are the only season when one cannot hope to grow any crops here, but the rest of the year the weather is conducive. So, with treated soil agricultural production is possible.
He cited the example of the Netherlands and said that the land there is below sea level, but using new technologies its people have made it so arable that it is today the largest exporter of flowers in the world.
Talking of health food or agricultural produce which is grown naturally without using fertilisers, chemicals and pesticides, Abu Nasr said that people all over the world were gradually turning back to naturally-grown food. But the food is expensive and beyond the reach of the common man. Also, it is difficult to meet the rising demand for food with the naturally grown agricultural produce considering that the world population is growing so rapidly.
It was in the 1940s that fertilisers, chemicals and pesticides began being used to boost agricultural production. While increased production ended food shortages, the new technologies, according to scientists, led to a number of diseases, including cancer and swellings in the liver.
Dr Mohamed Hesam Abu Nasr said yesterday that the soil in Qatar can be easily treated to make it fertile.
The peak summer months are the only season when one cannot hope to grow any crops here, but the rest of the year the weather is conducive. So, with treated soil agricultural production is possible.
He cited the example of the Netherlands and said that the land there is below sea level, but using new technologies its people have made it so arable that it is today the largest exporter of flowers in the world.
Talking of health food or agricultural produce which is grown naturally without using fertilisers, chemicals and pesticides, Abu Nasr said that people all over the world were gradually turning back to naturally-grown food. But the food is expensive and beyond the reach of the common man. Also, it is difficult to meet the rising demand for food with the naturally grown agricultural produce considering that the world population is growing so rapidly.
It was in the 1940s that fertilisers, chemicals and pesticides began being used to boost agricultural production. While increased production ended food shortages, the new technologies, according to scientists, led to a number of diseases, including cancer and swellings in the liver.