Korea and Qatar Discuss Smart-farming Cooperation

Sejong, 11 November 2024 — On 11 November in Seoul, Her Excellency Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea met with His Excellency Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiya, Minister of Municipality of the State of Qatar to discuss diverse ways for bilateral cooperation on smart farming and asked for cooperation from the Qatari side for expansion of the exports of Korean agri-food products to the State of Qatar.

  * Agri-food products means processed and non-processed food products, excluding aquatic food products.

The State of Qatar has recently been innovating agricultural technologies to expand the production of vegetables and meat. The most exported Korean agri-food products to Qatar include corn oil and ramyeon (Korean-style instant noodles). Recently, Korean food products such as dubu (bean curd), processed rice-based products, and kimchi are also on the rise in exports. As the importance of food security is growing significantly, Qatar has a large potential for cooperation with Korea in terms of exchanges of smart farming-related technologies and exports of smart farms.

H.E. Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “If Qatar gives special attention to bring the investment cooperation for building a smart-farming innovation complex in Qatar to the next level, it would be highly appreciated. The Korean government is continuing to provide support for Korean companies to expand their exports to Islamic countries, including Qatar. I hope that today’s bilateral meeting will serve as a valued opportunity to expand the exports of Korean food products to Qatar.” 

H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiya, Minister of Municipality, expressed his anticipation for bilateral cooperation, saying: “On October 2023, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea made an amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding on smart farming. I hope that this amendment will provide an opportunity for both sides to diversify not only the exchanges of technologies but also the trade of agri-food products.” 

H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiya also asked for participation of the Korean government and companies in Qatar’s 2025 AgriteQ (International Agricultural and Environmental Exhibition) scheduled to be held in February 2025, and asked for the Korean side’s support for the international event.