Cooperatives must purchase directly from local Kuwait farms

KUWAIT CITY: President of the Farmers’ Union, Abdullah Al-Damak, has threatened to take all available legal measures against those who ‘tamper’ with the local agricultural produce by repacking them and selling as imported products, stressing the need for companies to purchase agricultural products directly from farms at a rate of no less than 75 percent.

Al-Damak said in a statement to Al-Seyassah daily that the tampered goods are supplied to some stores as imported products while in fact these are national products.

He called for preserving food security by offering agricultural food produce at the right price for the consumer and for the benefit of farmers as well.

The Assistant Undersecretary for Cooperatives Affairs at the Ministry of Affairs has called for the implementation of the ministerial decision “45 A/2020 Article 3”, which concerns with the companies buying agricultural produce directly from farms at a rate of no less than 75% and preventing the middle man from manipulation.

Tamper

He regretted some merchants tamper with the local product and sell it as imported right under the noses of some officials and as a result the biggest losers are the farmers and the consumers and rightfully called for immediate intervention by the Ministry of Social Affairs to support the local produce. He stated, the Kuwaiti farmer is looking for fairness and protection by the Ministry to confront the greed of some, but unfortunately, with the support of some officials in the ministry the farmers are harmed.

He also pointed to the few beneficiaries who work as intermediaries who work for personal interests at the expense of the citizens and consumers. Al-Damak expressed thanked the Minister of “Municipality” and Minister of “Housing” Shaya Al-Shaya after his meeting with the President of the Dairy Union, Abdul Hakim Al-Ahmad and the Head of the Fishermen’s Union, Zahir Al-Soyyan, for his assurance of his constant support for the Kuwaiti farmers and other national products and his readiness to solve any problems facing the agricultural sector, the farmers’ union, and other unions.