عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Saudi Arabia Prepares to Launch World’s Largest Food Sustainability Expo

The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Prepares to Launch World’s Largest Food Sustainability Expo

The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has unveiled its future plans to enhance agricultural production efficiency and bolster food security in the Kingdom.

The reveal coincided with the holding of the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event in terms of both gross square-meters and global prestige.

The three-day event at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center, Malham, is expected to leave a major economic impact not only across the region, but also globally.

As for the ministry’s plans for boosting agricultural production efficiency, they include reducing water waste and prohibiting the cultivation of water-depleting crops, such as fodder.

Faisal Al-Dakhil, a spokesperson for the ministry, emphasized that InFlavour 2023 aims to attract both foreign and domestic investments to foster agricultural and food production in Saudi Arabia.

Products will be exported to the rest of the world through the intensification of regional and international innovation and technological solutions.

Al-Dakhil commended initiatives launched by Saudi Arabia to curb food waste in the Kingdom.

According to the spokesperson, these plans have reduced food waste in the Kingdom by 30%.

Saudi companies, both public and private, have invested in over 27 countries to secure food supplies, resulting in a 10% increase in agricultural production.

Al-Dakhil noted that the Kingdom achieved food self-sufficiency, as evidenced during the coronavirus pandemic when many countries faced shortages of food supplies and commodities.

He also highlighted the ministry’s launch of sustainable agriculture programs, emphasizing the significant achievements they have brought about.

Al-Dakhil acknowledged that agricultural marketing remains one of the major challenges that relevant authorities are working to find solutions for.

Some programs have been introduced to promote maximizing benefits between producers and consumers. This has led to the creation of several successful partnerships, encouraging sector investors to increase their production while maintaining quality.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

Saudi Arabia Says World Economic Forum Postpones Jeddah Meeting

A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP
A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Says World Economic Forum Postpones Jeddah Meeting

A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP
A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP

The World Economic Forum ⁠has postponed its Global ⁠Collaboration and Growth Meeting, originally ⁠set for April 22–23 in Jeddah, following consultations with the Saudi Ministry of Economy and ⁠Planning, citing ⁠current regional developments.

Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim stressed in January the need for sustained dialogue to accelerate global growth, calling on participants to engage actively in the meeting.

The Ministry of Economy and Planning affirmed Tuesday that the Kingdom has made comprehensive preparations to host the meeting and remains fully equipped to convene it, reflecting its continued role as a global platform for dialogue and agenda setting.

Building on its proven track record of convening major international gatherings, including the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh in 2024, the ministry said it looks forward to hosting the Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting at a date to be announced in due course.

The World Economic Forum said: “The Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting will serve as a leading platform for shaping constructive global dialogue. Following coordination between the World Economic Forum and the Ministry of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia, it has been agreed to reschedule the meeting to maximize its global impact.”
 

Business

IMF: Conflict Casts Shadow on Morocco's Economic Growth

FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
TT
TT

IMF: Conflict Casts Shadow on Morocco's Economic Growth

FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The International Monetary Fund has warned that in the near term, growth in Morocco would be impacted by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Executive Board of the IMF concluded last week the 2026 Article IV consultation with Morocco and completed the Mid-Term Review under the Flexible Credit Line Arrangement (FCL), which was approved on April 2, 2025.

The Staff Report issued on Monday said that real GDP growth is projected at 4.4 percent for 2026, 4.5 percent for 2027, and 4 percent over the medium term, assuming normalized agriculture production and continued infrastructure investment with greater private sector participation.

Real GDP growth in 2025 accelerated to an estimated 4.9 percent, supported by a rebound in agricultural output and a surge in large-scale infrastructure projects, the IMF said.

Nonetheless, high unemployment remains a significant challenge. Average inflation remained low at 0.8 percent, allowing Bank Al-Maghrib to maintain a neutral policy stance after earlier rate cuts.

The IMF lauded strong revenue performance that facilitated a smaller than anticipated overall fiscal deficit at 3.5 percent of GDP.

The overall fiscal deficits for 2026 and the medium term are consistent with a gradual reduction in debt to GDP to 60.5 percent by 2031.

The current account widened to 2.1 percent of GDP as imports rose with investment, partly offset by buoyant tourism.

“Sustainable job creation remains a pressing priority, and calls for a more dynamic private sector, leveling the playing field between public and private entities, and further reforms in the labor market,” the IMF said.

“Morocco continues to meet the qualification criteria for the Flexible Credit Line arrangement. Morocco has a sustained track record of implementing very strong macroeconomic policies and remains committed to maintaining such policies in the future, and continues to have very strong economic fundamentals and institutional policy frameworks. The authorities intend to continue treating the FCL arrangement as precautionary and to gradually exit it, depending on the evolution of external risks,” said IMF Deputy Managing Director and Chair Kenji Okamura.

Business

Taiwan to Skip WTO Conference after Labeled 'Province of China'

Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
TT
TT

Taiwan to Skip WTO Conference after Labeled 'Province of China'

Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Taiwan said on Tuesday it will skip a high-level World Trade Organization meeting for the first time following a dispute with host nation Cameroon over the name used for the democratic island in visa documents.

The Taiwanese foreign ministry said it had lodged a "stern protest" after Cameroon designated the island "Taiwan, Province of China" in paperwork issued to the island's delegation before it departed for the March 26-29 event.

Cameroon then granted members of the group a "visa exemption", but the document did not mention their nationality, misspelled some English names and identified almost all of them as female, the ministry said.

The ministry also said in a statement it was clear that the central African country "had no sincere intention of resolving the issue".

China claims Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory and has tried to erase the self-governed island from the international stage by blocking or hindering its access to global forums. It also opposes the designations "Taiwan" or "Republic of China", its official name.

"The one-China principle is the political prerequisite for the Taiwan region of China to participate in the WTO," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Lin accused Taiwan's ruling party of "engaging in political manipulation under the pretext of attending the meeting".

According to AFP, Taipei called its WTO snub a matter of "national dignity".

"Considering that our delegation members might encounter obstruction if they attempted to enter Cameroon with a document full of incorrect information, and in order to uphold our national dignity, we had no choice but to be absent," the Taiwanese foreign ministry said.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that our country joined the WTO as a 'separate customs territory' not subordinate to any other member, and that our equal right to participate must not be infringed."

It previously accused Cameroon of "subservience to China".

The WTO declined to comment.

Taiwan joined the WTO in 2002, shortly after China, and its official name at the organization is the "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei)".

The WTO ministerial conference, its highest decision-making body, will take place in Cameroon's capital Yaounde. It is usually held every other year.