Businessman to fly 4,000 Holstein cows to Qatar to build dairy industry

A businessman is flying 4,000 cows into Qatar to boost its milk supply
A businessman is flying 4,000 cows into Qatar to boost its milk supply

A Qatari businessman will airlift 4,000 Holstein cows on 60 flights to create a local dairy industry.

It is part of efforts to maintain milk supplies during the blockade by Qatar’s Gulf Arab neighbours, who have cut diplomatic ties with the small, but rich, Gulf state.

The cows will come from Australia and the US to the farm, which is north of Doha, the country's capital city.

Before, Qatar had imported most of its dairy products from neighbouring countries – including Saudi Arabia.

Qatar's isolation has disrupted trade, and forced Qatar to open new routes to import food, building materials and equipment.

On Sunday, Iran had sent five planes of vegetables to Qatar

“So far five planes carrying... vegetables have been sent to Qatar, each carrying around 90 tonnes of cargo, while another plane will be sent on Sunday,” Iran Air spokesman Shahrokh Noushabadi had told AFP.

The UK has pushed its exports towards Gulf states recently, as the potential market for British produce is huge.

The Gulf is the UK’s third largest export market – worth more than £1.5 billion – and is already home to more than 5,000 UK companies and 4,000 British brands.