Walid bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, director general of Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization, opened the Saudi Agriculture 2012, the 31st International Agriculture, Water and Agro-Industry Show at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in the capital yesterday. The four-day show, which is being held with the support of Minister of Agriculture Fahd Balghuneim, attracted several key regional and international agriculture industry players and leaders, who will share business, investment and policy views with high-ranking agriculture officials here.
The event reported a substantial 22 percent increase in the number of international exhibitors compared to last year with the participation of more than 400 exhibitors from Saudi Arabia and 22 other countries, including Denmark, Kuwait, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, the UAE and the UK.
Accredited by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, the show enjoys a wide scope, which includes animal health and production, agricultural financing, agricultural products and services, chemicals and fertilizers, cold storage, dairy farming products and equipment, fish farming, greenhouses, handling and transport systems, irrigation and landscaping equipment, organic farming, packaging systems and products, pesticides, pumps and pipe systems, seeds and soil nutrition products, spraying machinery, water treatment, water management systems, and warehousing.
“Saudi Arabia holds a huge potential for investors and businesses that want to work in the region’s largest growing agricultural marketplace,” said Khalid Daou, project manager of Saudi Agriculture at Riyadh Exhibitions Company. He pointed out that the 2012 national budget shows how the government has taken a serious stance toward addressing the food needs of its people.

“So now is the perfect time to forge and strengthen ties among local agricultural and food players,” he noted. Saudi Agriculture is fast becoming one of the leading specialist agricultural events, he added.
Highlighting the significance of the show, Daou said it was an ideal platform for determining which solutions can drive the Saudi food agenda.
Saudi Agriculture 2012 showcases the latest in animal health and production, agricultural finance and banking, agricultural products and services, chemicals and fertilizers, cold storage and crop production, dairy farming products and equipment, fisheries and fish farming, greenhouses, handling and transport systems, irrigation and landscaping equipment, machinery and spare parts, organic farming, packaging systems and products, pesticides, pumps and pipe systems, seeds and soil nutrition products, spraying machinery, water treatment, water management systems and warehousing.
Last year, Saudi Agriculture celebrated 30 years of its continued success. The event that has been running for the past three decades serves as a leading platform for the unveiling of new and advanced developments across local and regional agricultural and food sectors in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Agro-Food 2012 is held concurrently with Saudi Agriculture and this bi-annual international exhibition, now in its 19th year, is dedicated to the food processing and packaging industry. It features exhibits and events that focus on state-of-the-art products, technologies and services, including frozen and chilled foods, confectionery, chocolates, health and natural foods, presentation, processing and packaging equipment.
The Kingdom with a population of 28 million is the largest individual market in the region. The agro-food sector in the Kingdom is witnessing a steady growth rate, due in part to the rapidly increasing population. Its food and beverages market is worth $ 16 billion.
Kingdom’s domestic organic and natural foods sector is currently valued at around $ 27 billion, accounting for 90 percent of the regional GCC market.
Recent studies reveal that the Kingdom currently has around 34,997 hectares of organically planted land with sales of organic products expected to achieve 10 percent annual growth, fueled by the increasing awareness among the local community about the advantages and diversity offered by organic farming. The study predicts organically planted land to form 5 percent of the total planted area in the Kingdom.
Poultry consumption is expected to grow by 17.2 percent to reach 1.6 million tons in 2016, while milk production could increase by more than 17 percent to 2.1 million tons between 2015 and 2016.
The government has allocated SR 60 billion to boost the domestic agricultural sector this year and is actively looking at regional and global agricultural products and services and focusing on organic alternative farming to meet the growing nutritional needs of its citizens.