São Paulo – Saudi Arabia’s food security is set to strengthen with new investments in the agriculture sector of Al-Baha, a mountain region in the southwest of the country. The projects include cultivating orchards, coffee, palm trees, and producing flowers and wild plants, Arab News reported.
The investment opportunities feature a coffee city project aiming to cultivate more than 150,000 trees, with a production capacity surpassing 15,000 tonnes. The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture has set a submission deadline of September 10.
Another initiative is the Al-Ennab Village project, situated near Al-Janabeen Dam, focusing on cultivating palm and fruit trees. The deadline for bids for this project is September 24.
Meanwhile, the lavender fields project opportunity aims to plant over 2,500 lavender seedlings annually. The deadline for submitting bids is September 2.
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Additionally, there is a fruit nursery project in the Qilwah governorate aimed at cultivating 100,000 seedlings annually for all types of fruits. Bids are scheduled to be submitted by the end of September 3.
The ministry announced the launch of an alliance with several partners to unite stakeholders, catalyzing the national-scale deployment of agrifood technological solutions.
Saudi Arabia’s self-sufficiency
Saudi Arabia, despite about 90% of its territory being desert, is leading an agricultural boom aimed at boosting domestic crop production and reducing dependence on imported food to achieve self-sufficiency under Vision 2030.
The country has already achieved complete self-sufficiency in dates, fresh dairy products, and table eggs, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ Agricultural Statistics Publication.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
