Ashraf AboArafe
His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mushaiti, affirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) continued support for the efforts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); To achieve food and water security and combat hunger and poverty at all local, regional and international levels.
This came during the Kingdom’s speech delivered by His Excellency today, at the forty-third session of the General Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); To discuss food and agricultural issues in light of the challenges of water scarcity and its integrated management; With the aim of achieving food security and comprehensive support for flexible and efficient food production.
And His Excellency indicated that the Kingdom attaches great importance to the components of agricultural and food systems and issues related to it in its national policies and strategies, and believes in the reality of its responsibilities and membership in the organization in the importance of working in cooperation with regional and international civil organizations and institutions. to promote research in these areas and the use of cutting-edge technologies; To overcome obstacles and difficulties and achieve our common goals.
His Excellency pointed out that the Kingdom has adopted many strategies, initiatives and programs to promote sustainable agricultural development, raise the efficiency of water resources management and preserve natural and environmental resources, and the Kingdom has several important strategies in this regard, and the Agricultural Development Fund has adopted lending policies that depend on supporting modern technologies. With lending that exceeds (70%) of the capital costs of agricultural projects, stressing that the lending rate jumped from (500) million riyals in 2015 AD, to reach (7) billion riyals in 2022 AD.
Al-Mashaiti explained that the agricultural sector in the Kingdom witnessed growth in agricultural investments and achieved a remarkable development that was reflected in the value of the agricultural domestic product, reaching (100) billion riyals in 2022 AD, recording its highest contribution in its history. The Kingdom also achieved high rates of self-sufficiency in many areas. Agricultural crops, especially those that rely on modern technologies, due to their dependence on integrated water management, which contributed to reducing agricultural consumption from (86%) to less than (70%).
