Gulf Times | 11 August 2008

By Ourouba Hussein

THE Qatar Company for Meat and Livestock Trading (Mawashi) is looking towards investing in Kurdistan since that region in Iraq is the source of Arabian livestock, which has a high demand in the region, an official said yesterday.

Mawashi has started a feasibility study on the subject, the company’s general manager Sultan Johar al-Abdullah said.

He said Mawashi was also preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with Sudan and some companies in Tajikistan for investing in livestock and meat products.

“Sudan is the food basket of the Arab world. Our studies have proved the land’s fertility and the abundance of water,” al-Abdullah said, adding that helping Sudan as an Arab country was also a reason for investing there.

Al-Abdullah told reporters that Mawashi’s expansion plans included adding poultry to its products, considering the huge local demand for it.
He said Mawashi was fully prepared to meet the local demand for meat during the holy month of Ramadan.

Al-Abdullah stressed that the subsidy Mawashi received from the government was not to help the company generate profits but to help consumers buy meat at reasonable prices.

---