The second Souq Waqif Honey Exhibition 2019, organised in co-operation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the participation of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, will start on Thursday.
The event will conclude on March 7.
A total of 124 companies from 20 countries are taking part in the second edition.
The increase is close to 77% compared to the first edition held in 2018.
Khalid Saif al-Suwaidi, who will oversee this year's exhibition, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the strong participation this year reflects the confidence companies have in the local market.
He added that it also reflected the exhibition's ability in attracting companies and consumers alike.
He said that foreign companies supply 15 tonnes of honey, adding that the supply can increase if the quantities drop.
He noted that the amount of local honey produced is more than the foreign variety.
He revealed that 30 local farms are participating in this year's edition.
Al-Suwaidi highlighted that the goal of the exhibition is to support the Qatari product and introduce it on a large scale to the public.
He added that the exhibition also provides SMEs with the opportunity to showcase their products.
182 samples of honey analysed last year: ministry
The Ministry of Public Health revealed that 182 samples of honey were tested and analysed in 2018 to verify their compliance with the specifications.
The ministry's laboratories carry out many tests related to the quality of honey, analysing its components for contamination, among other things, as part of the health ministry's commitment to ensuring the safety and conformity of food items in the local market to the prescribed standards.
The honey quality testing labs have international accreditation. They carry out many physical, chemical and microbiological tests. The samples are tested for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of sugars to determine their conformity with the standards.
The tests also carreed out to determine the presence of toxic substance hydroxyl methyl furfural in limits higher than the set standards.
