Saudi Arabia Adopts Measures to Strengthen Food Security

Image used for illustrative purpose. A farmer displays wheat grains at a field in the Beheira Governorate, Egypt May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Image used for illustrative purpose. A farmer displays wheat grains at a field in the Beheira Governorate, Egypt May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Saudi Arabia Adopts Measures to Strengthen Food Security

Image used for illustrative purpose. A farmer displays wheat grains at a field in the Beheira Governorate, Egypt May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Image used for illustrative purpose. A farmer displays wheat grains at a field in the Beheira Governorate, Egypt May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

The Saudi Agriculture Development Fund has approved several loans, worth over SR861 million ($229 million), to finance working capital for the import of agricultural products, within endeavors to strengthen food security in the Kingdom.

The Fund’s Vice Chairman and General Manager, Munir bin Fahd Al-Sahli, stated that the approval of the loans came by government directives to keep pace with current international developments, to ensure an abundance of stock and stability of supplies, and to avoid any disruption in supply chains.

The targeted agriculture crops include barley, maize and soybeans, he noted.

Saudi Arabia recently launched the Middle East Poultry Exhibition, under the slogan “Contributing to Strengthening Food Security” at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, with the participation of 150 companies from 30 countries in various sectors of the poultry industry.

Saudi Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mushaiti, said the government was keen on increasing investment in poultry production as part of a strategic plan to enhance food security and raise the proportion of local production of white meat.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Grains Organization announced the activation of the appointment-booking service through Mahsuli (My Crop) platform for the distribution of local wheat for the 2022 agricultural season.

Eng. Ahmed Al-Faris, the governor of the organization, stated that farmers can start the usual regular procedures through the platform to determine the location of the supply, book appointments, and inquire about the details of the received shipments.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.