Saudi Arabia Increases Grain Storage Capacity by 40 percent to Ensure Food Security
Date
5/15/2023 2:38:00 AM
(MENAFN) Saudi Arabia has completed a new facility to increase its grain storage capacity by 40 percent, in a bid to ensure food security. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced that the new facility expands the country's storage capacity to 3.5 million tons from 2.6 million tons in 2016. The country's food security strategy has helped reduce barley imports by over 50 percent, from 10 million tons in 2016 to nearly 4.8 million tons. The plan is part of an effort to liberalize barley imports and allow the private sector to import them.
The ministry highlighted that its efforts have resulted in various positive impacts in the agricultural sector, including raising self-sufficiency ratios in agricultural and animal products. The production in the organic agriculture sector has increased to 101,000 tons from 56,000 tons in 2016. Moreover, the Kingdom's National Program to Reduce Food Loss and Waste has played a crucial role in settling the baseline of food waste in the Kingdom to 33.1 percent.
In January, the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, approved a new investment worth SR4 billion (USD1 billion) for the expansion of the plant resources sector and greenhouses. The approved plan for a period spanning 2023 to 2025 involves the relevant authorities and private sector companies. It aims to increase the production capacity by an estimated 430,000 tons, bringing the total production capacity of the greenhouses to more than 1 million tons annually.
Saudi Arabia's efforts to ensure food security are crucial, given its dependence on food imports. The country has been working towards reducing its reliance on food imports and increasing its domestic production capacity. The new facility to increase grain storage capacity is a significant step towards achieving this goal. The country's food security strategy has already helped reduce barley imports, and the plan to expand the plant resources sector and greenhouses is expected to further boost domestic production capacity. The Kingdom's National Program to Reduce Food Loss and Waste is also playing a crucial role in reducing food waste and ensuring that food resources are used efficiently.
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