JEDDAH: With fifty shades of red, local flower shops were celebrating the strong presence of red roses on Valentine’s Day on Tuesday in the absence of restrictions from the Committee of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also known as the religious police.
Saudis wishing to celebrate Valentine’s Day have been able to purchase roses, which in previous years had been confiscated from flower shops by members of the religious authorities.
Many flower shops in Jeddah, visited by Arab News, were selling roses and flowers, albeit with hiked prices. Custom-made Valentine boxes with flowers and balloons start from SR550.
Meanwhile, Al-Hayat daily reported similar sales in Al-Ahsa and other Saudi areas. However, some flower shopkeepers opted voluntarily not to sell roses to avoid trouble with the religious authorities. No shop owners reported any problems.
One florist in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, however, preferred to avoid highlighting this occasion.
“I will not sell red roses on this day, as the matter does not need a ban order,” one anonymous Riyadh florist told Al-Hayat. “We have experienced problems in the past and I am not willing to go through the same dilemma again.”
Saudis on social media celebrated the annual day of love by posting affectionate messages, while others insisted that they will not celebrate it citing ideological reasons. Some Saudis say the event is a pagan ritual and refuse to participate because they believe it is an act to imitate the west.
Humor and irony were the dominant theme on this occasion among locals who shared sarcastic tweets and videos on their social platforms.
Nader (@LeoNader) posted a video of a football match featuring his favorite sports team with the caption: “This is my Valentine.” While Hassan (@iiHM_) shared a picture of NETFLIX saying: “You are my Valentine.”
Another Twitter user (@Sho_Sho232) expressed her feelings on how the Haia (the commission) members are missed on such occasion.
“And this is how we discovered that no one gives Valentine’s Day any significance other than the Haia. Valentine’s Day lost its spirit without our clergies.”
Many Saudis said that love should be celebrated throughout the year, not only for one day. “We experience love in every detail on our day. One day is not enough to celebrate it,” tweeted (@memo44447).
And like everywhere else in the world, some single Saudis who complained about spending the occasion alone tweeted funny posts suggesting that their Valentine date is going to be a... shawarma sandwich! “Thanks to my shawarma it has never let me down.”
Love is in the air as Saudis enjoy a red Valentine
https://arab.news/6nbxw
Love is in the air as Saudis enjoy a red Valentine
Saudi Reef has played key role in empowering rural communities, says spokesperson
- Program has benefited more than 90,000 rural families, enabled productive projects
- Majed Al-Buraikan: The eight sectors supported by the Saudi Reef program help diversify agricultural production, support sustainable use of resources and improve supply chains
JEDDAH: The Saudi Reef program has played a key role in strengthening food security and empowering farmers and rural families across the Kingdom since its launch in 2019.
The program forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader efforts under Vision 2030 to support sustainable agricultural development, diversify the economy, and enhance the contribution of rural communities to national growth.
Majed Al-Buraikan, the official spokesperson for Saudi Reef and its director of corporate communications and media, told Arab News that the program had made a positive impact in rural communities.
He said: “It has empowered small farmers and rural families to develop their agricultural projects and increase productivity.
“This support has helped strengthen food security, improve the use of resources, and support the long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector, in line with Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and develop rural areas.”
Through targeted support across eight priority agricultural sectors — including Saudi coffee, value-added development, livestock, rainfed crops, beekeeping and honey production, aromatic plants, fisheries, and fruit — the program focuses on enhancing the sustainability of these sectors to achieve empowerment and stability for rural families.
Al-Buraikan added: “The eight sectors supported by the Saudi Reef program help diversify agricultural production, support sustainable use of resources and improve supply chains.
“This diversity supports economic stability in rural areas, encourages balanced growth, and helps build a flexible rural production system that can expand over time.”
By benefiting more than 90,000 rural families and enabling productive projects rooted in local communities, the program has also opened up new economic opportunities for women and youngsters, supported entrepreneurship, and improved productivity across the rural sector.
Al-Buraikan said: “This shows the wide developmental impact of the Saudi Reef program and its strong geographic and social reach.
“It demonstrates the ability of rural areas to become productive economic spaces.
“This expansion has improved income levels, strengthened social stability in rural areas, and increased the contribution of agriculture to the national economy.”
The program has helped make rural work a competitive economic option by improving agricultural productivity, supporting a wide range of sectors, and enabling beneficiaries to access local and global markets.
The program announced in 2025 that the market value of production across its sectors had exceeded SR5.6 billion ($1.49 billion) since its launch.
Al-Buraikan said: “This reflects the strong economic potential of rural investment and its role in supporting the national economy, food security, and sustainability goals under Vision 2030.”
The Sustainable Reef initiative was launched in September 2025 to highlight the significant impact the program had made in supporting rural communities and enhancing agricultural and economic sustainability across various regions of the Kingdom.
Al-Buraikan said the initiative was a development-focused media extension of the Saudi Reef program.
“It highlights the real impact of government support through inspiring success stories that show how rural projects have become sustainable, productive businesses,” he said.
“What makes it different is that it goes beyond traditional support by building public awareness of the value of rural areas as promising economic and investment contributors.”
Saudi Reef has helped position rural work as a competitive and sustainable economic option, reinforcing its role in driving long-term development across the Kingdom.
The program has also empowered women in rural areas by opening new opportunities in agricultural activities while providing sustainable sources of income.
Al-Buraikan said: “It has also supported young people through an integrated entrepreneurship system that includes incubators, accelerators, and training programs, helping to turn rural ideas into productive projects led by and benefiting rural communities.”
In addition, the program supports Vision 2030 by empowering farmers, increasing local production, and building a sustainable agricultural sector that contributes to food security and economic development.
Demonstration farms serve as practical platforms where farmers can observe modern agricultural practices, learn improved production methods, and adopt modern technologies, thereby increasing efficiency and improving crop quality.
Al-Buraikan said: “The program balances agricultural production with environmental protection by promoting smart agriculture, improving resource use, and linking production to modern technologies. The program ensures agricultural growth while protecting the environment.”
