HASSAD Australia will supply more than 330,000 sheep this year as part of a global program to secure high-quality food resources for its owner, the government of Qatar.

Parent company Hassad Food gave an insight into its Australian subsidiary’s latest contributions to the country’s food security program in a recent statement.

The statement launching new Basmati rice varieties to the Qatar market, by Hassad Food chairman and managing director Nasser Mohamed al-Hajri, also outlined the sheep and grain production of Hassad Australia’s network of 14 properties totalling about 300,000 hectares in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia.

Hassad said the sheep consigned by Hassad Australia by the end of December represented more than 50 per cent of the local market demand for Australian sheep, all supplied according to specifications set by Widam, Hassad Food’s Qatar distribution company.

A Hassad Australia spokesperson said the 330,000-plus Australian-grown chilled carcases were mostly processed at Hardwicks at Kyneton in Victoria.

“This is 50pc of the Widam chilled carcass trade only.

“There are other market outlets particularly in the high end restaurant trade, and also the live sheep trade which would be roughly equivalent to the chilled carcass trade,” the spokesperson said.

During 2015, Hassad Australia – Hassad Food’s first international investment – supported the local market demand by supplying three batches of Australian sheep as chilled carcases, Hassad said.

“The first batch had more than 50,000 chilled carcasses, supplied between January and February, followed by a bigger batch of more than 100,000 carcasses, supplied in June and July, to cover the peak season (Ramadan).”

A third batch of 175,000 chilled carcases arrived in August and would be distributed in the local market until the end of the year. Hassad Australia has carried out a programme of breeding the Syrian Awassi sheep on its Australian farms to support the ongoing local market demand. But a Hassad Australia spokesperson said the chilled carcases are mostly Merino and crossbred lambs with a very small number of Awassi cross lambs.

Hassad said Hassad Australia has planted more than 73,000 hectares of commercial crops in 2015, including wheat, barley, canola and others. The 2015 harvest commenced in October and would last until January 2016.

Hassad Australia chief executive officer Tom McKeon said since its establishment in 2009, the company and its local farm managers have been tracking well with the company’s plans to continue to invest in and improve its operations.

“This includes selling sheep and grains into both domestic and international markets, with Qatar being a key focus for export.”

Hassad Australia operation spans five states

According to the Hassad Australia website, the company’s properties and their primary purposes include:

Victoria  

– Kaladbro Station, Strathdownie, 2632 ha, livestock finishing.

– Telopea Downs Station, Telopea Downs, 47,677 ha, sheep breeding.

– Barton Station, Moyston, 8244 ha, sheep breeding and fattening.

New South Wales    

– Raby Stud, Warren, 9782 ha, stud sheep breeding.

– Old Bundemar, Trangie, 22,562 ha, sheep breeding and wheat production.

– Gindurra, Canowindra, 8516 ha, sheep breeding and wheat production.

– Englefield Plains, Wagga Wagga, 7448 ha, sheep breeding and wheat production.

– Urawilkie, Coonamble, 25,932 ha, sheep breeding and grain production.

Queensland

– Clover Downs, Cunnamulla, 125,292 ha, large scale sheep breeding.

South Australia

– Manilla, Burra, 3263 ha, wheat.

– Tapleys and Sampsons, Eyre Peninsula, 7106 ha, wheat production.

Western Australia

– Bindana Downs, Bindi Bindi, 8483 ha, grain production.

– Amarinya, Jerramungup, 14,672 ha, grain production.

– Yupiri, Esperance, 8340 ha, grain production.

Source: Hassad Australia.