India at Qatar 2022: After heritage vessel Uru from Beypore, it is Namakkal eggs at FIFA World Cup!

Bengaluru, November 22: Though India is not participating at Qatar 2022, the country's contribution to the first-ever FIFA World Cup being held in the Middle East and the enite Arab region is very significant.

According to a report in The Hindu daily, the number of eggs exported from the Namakkal district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu to Qatar has been increased to 2.5 crore from 1.50 crore due to surge in demand, thanks to the FIFA World Cup, and a cheaper price compared with Turkish eggs.

In Namakkal district, approximately 1,100 poultry farms are functioning, and these farms produce 5.5 crore to 6 crore eggs per day. Out of these, 1.50 to 1.75 crore eggs are sent to Kerala, 45 lakh eggs to the noon meal scheme, 40 lakh eggs to Bengaluru, and the remaining to various parts of the State and to various countries, the report adds.

It looks as though, barring on the football pitch, India's presence at Qatar 2022 is everywhere. The country is being represented during the mega-sporting event by a replica of a traditional wooden dhow called Uru made at Beypore in Kozhikode, which was used during ancient times for trade with Mesopotamia.

The 27-feet long all-wooden-and-coir yacht is being made to order at Beypore, historically famous for making Urus, by Chaliyam-based Haji PI Ahmed Koya and Company and is being showcased at the International Dhow Festival which ie being held on the sidelines of the FIFA's quadrennial extravaganza.

The Indian fans have thronged the Qatar World Cup stadiums in large numbers.

As per an earlier report in aljazeera.com, of the 1.8 million FIFA World Cup tickets sold across the first two phases of Qatar 2022, more than 23,500 were bought by fans in India. After the first phase of ticketing, India was ranked seventh in ticket sales.

The Qatar 2022, which began on November 20, will conclude on December 18, incidentally, the Qatar National Day.

For the records, the Qatar 2022 will be a 29-day affair -- the shortest in FIFA World Cup history -- with the tiny Middle East country hosting the mega event at eight venues -- Khalifa International, Al Janoub, Educational City, Ahmed bin Ali, Al Bayt, Al Thumama, Stadium 974 and Lusail Stadium.