Saudi Arabia has affirmed its commitment to implementing its declared strategic policy to achieve food security and support flexible and effective food production to adapt to the challenges of water scarcity.
This comes as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the 43rd session of its General Conference on Tuesday, under the title: “Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, and Better Life”, with a number of important issues on the agenda, including the role of trade in securing diverse foods to ensure global food security in times of crisis.
The conference also sheds light on climate change and food prices, in addition to promoting and developing technological and digital innovations in the agricultural fields, in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development.
Eng. Mansour Al-Mushaiti, Saudi Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, met with the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dr. Alvaro Lario, on the sidelines of the conference, to discuss aspects of cooperation between the Kingdom and IFAD, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Addressing the conference on Tuesday, Al-Mushaiti stressed that his country attached great importance to cooperation with regional and international organizations and institutions to achieve common goals related to agricultural and food systems.
He also pointed to the Kingdom’s strategies, initiatives and programs to promote sustainable agricultural development, raise the efficiency of water management and preserve natural and environmental resources.
According to Al-Mushaiti, the Saudi Agricultural Development Fund provided lending that exceeded 70 percent of the capital costs of agricultural projects, stressing that the lending rate jumped from 500 million riyals ($133.3 million) in 2015, to reach 7 billion riyals ($1.8 billion) in 2022, highlighting the growth of agricultural investments in Saudi Arabia.
The deputy minister presented some of Saudi Arabia’s achievements in the agricultural sector. He said that those were reflected in the value of the agricultural domestic product, which reached 100 billion riyals ($26.6 billion) in 2022, recording its highest contribution in the Kingdom’s history.
He added that Saudi Arabia registered high rates of self-sufficiency in many agricultural crops, especially those that rely on modern technologies and integrated water management.
