Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mushaiti, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, confirmed the Kingdom’s continued support for the efforts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); To achieve water and food security and combat hunger and poverty at all local, regional and international levels.
This came during the Kingdom’s speech delivered 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 he 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.
He 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 depend on modern technologies, due to their dependence on integrated water management, which contributed to reducing agricultural consumption from (86%) to less than (70%).
Al-Mashaiti also met, on the sidelines of the conference, with the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Dr. Alvaro Lario. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of joint cooperation between the Kingdom and the Fund, and the strengthening of ways of cooperation between the two sides in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
