Saudi Arabia's production of fruits witnessed a jump of 194 percent in six years, reaching 2.7 million tons by the end of 2020, compared to 930,000 tons six years ago, announced the Ministry of Commerce.
Dates come on top of the list of Saudi fruits, and the Kingdom ranked second in the world in the production of dates with 1.5 million tons in 2020.
Saudi Arabia exports dates to 107 countries, and exports recorded a growth rate of 7.1 percent, valued at $247 million.
Statistics showed that the per capita annual consumption of fruit and vegetables in the Kingdom reached 77 kg and 62 kg, respectively.
The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture aims to take the per capita share of fruit consumption to 90 kg and that of vegetables to 100 kilograms in a year, equivalent to approximately 250 grams per day.
Major fruits produced by the Kingdom include pomegranates, grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, mangoes, strawberries, bananas, apples, oranges, apricots, and peaches.
The Saudi government seeks to provide a food security environment that supports agricultural production, facilitates the private sector's contribution, and allows innovation and development in green fields.
A workshop held last October discussed vertical farming in achieving food security in the Kingdom and improving agricultural operations through modern technologies.
The workshop discussed green innovations in plant production research to facilitate vertical farming and international research and case studies on developing a profitable business model using technologies to cultivate fruit and vegetable crops.
The workshop stressed the importance of encouraging companies, investors, and farmers to adopt vertical farming by developing policies to facilitate production.
It also called for supporting lending through the Agricultural Development Fund with 70 percent of the capital costs of modern technology to increase investments and keep pace with developments.
The workshop stressed the importance of intensifying cooperation in various sectors in future research and development to protect natural resources and sustainability by considering vertical farming a viable solution.
It stressed the importance of the private sector's participation in accelerating the adoption of innovations, allocating technology, and developing economically viable business models, contributing to food and nutrition security.
