MODON Signs Food and Beverage Agreements Worth $285 Million

Saudi Arabia continues to attract investments in the food industry. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia continues to attract investments in the food industry. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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MODON Signs Food and Beverage Agreements Worth $285 Million

Saudi Arabia continues to attract investments in the food industry. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia continues to attract investments in the food industry. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) signed a number of agreements to localize the food and beverage industry in the Kingdom, with total investments amounting to 1.07 billion riyals ($285 million).

The announcement was made on the sidelines of MODON’s participation in the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai, where the authority revealed recent partnerships aimed at localizing the Kingdom’s food and beverage industry in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Industry Strategy.

A statement on Friday said MODON signed an agreement with the Jordan Valley Food Industries, Al-Bayrouty, to establish a factory in the Second Industrial City in Jeddah on an area of 15,000 square meters, with investments worth 50 million Saudi riyals for the production of grains and legumes.

The Authority also signed an agreement with the Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Co. to build a 100,000 square meter factory in Sudair Industrial and Business City near Riyadh to produce a variety of food and beverages.

MODON also signed an agreement with Siniora Food Industries, according to which the Authority will allocate a piece of land with an area of 25,000 square meters for long-term use in the second industrial area in Jeddah for Siniora to build a factory to produce all types of cold cuts and frozen meat. The estimated cost of this investment is about 140 million Saudi riyals, equivalent to USD37 million.



World Bank Redirects Funds Towards Lebanon Emergency Aid

Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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World Bank Redirects Funds Towards Lebanon Emergency Aid

Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The World Bank announced on Thursday that it was redirecting funds originally earmarked for development programs in Lebanon towards emergency aid for people displaced by Israeli bombardment of the country.

"The World Bank is activating emergency response plans to be able to repurpose resources in the portfolio to respond to the urgent needs of people in Lebanon," said a statement from the US-based multilateral institution.

The multilateral institution currently has $1.5 billion in funding for programs in Lebanon. Part of this amount will be redirected.

Since September 23, more than 1,000 people have been killed in an Israeli air-and-ground campaign on Lebanon that has targeted armed group Hezbollah in the south and east of the country, with strikes expanding to include the capital Beirut.

Thousands have been displaced since the bombing began, and the funds would be used to provide aid to those populations, the World Bank said.

"This would include emergency support to displaced people that could be deployed through a digital platform the World Bank helped put in place during the Covid epidemic," the statement said.