Saudi Arabia’s jasmine flower, a tradition ripe for investment

This undated photo shows jewelry pieces made of jasmine flower. (SPA)
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Updated 05 April 2021
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Saudi Arabia’s jasmine flower, a tradition ripe for investment

  • Developers smell an investment opportunity with plans for more than a million new trees

JEDDAH: Preparations are underway to launch the fragrant jasmine plants of the Kingdom’s southern Jazan region as an investment opportunity.

The region is putting forward its City of Jasmines project for investment in line with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, a project that can also contribute to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Green Initiative.

The white-yellowish flowers’ enchanting scent has a place in flower arrangements at many Saudi social celebrations and weddings. It’s grown commercially in the region, and many backyards across the Kingdom are adorned by the tall climbing plant.

With 280 tons of jasmine flowers cultivated annually, the City of Jasmines project is an attractive destination for agricultural investment, as well as investment in the manufacturing of essential oils, said the Secretary-General of the Jazan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Majed Al-Johary.

HIGHLIGHT

The region is putting forward its City of Jasmine project for investment in line with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

He said it was also in line with the Made in Saudi initiative. The project is expected to produce about 22,000 kilograms of jasmine oil extracted from 1,126,000 jasmine trees, which reach their peak during their summer months.

Al-Johary said there were currently 227,350 Jasmine trees and 14 nurseries licensed to sell jasmine in the region.

However, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture plans to plant 10 million jasmine trees, contributing to the 10 billion trees set to be planted throughout the Kingdom in the next decades.

“Jasmine City will be a new vital investment destination in the Jazan region owing to the competitiveness in the field of agriculture and manufacturing that allows it to manufacture Saudi products of high quality,” he said.

“The studies, the economic reality, and the geographical location of Jazan encourage the provision of major investment opportunities.”


Saudi surgeons train Indonesian doctors in maxillofacial, thyroid surgery 

Updated 06 January 2026
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Saudi surgeons train Indonesian doctors in maxillofacial, thyroid surgery 

  • Saudi team is embedded with a general hospital in eastern Indonesian city of Makassar
  • During their stay in Indonesia, they performed free maxillofacial, thyroid surgery on 60 patients

JAKARTA: A 19-member surgical team from Saudi Arabia has trained Indonesian doctors in oral, maxillofacial and thyroid surgery under a King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center program to expand access to advanced medical procedures in eastern Indonesia.

The Saudi medics were embedded with their Indonesian colleagues at the Wahidin Sudirohusodo Central General Hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi province. 

“KSrelief’s medical team consisted of surgeons and consultants, so doctors from our hospital had the opportunity to directly observe surgical procedures done by the Saudi doctors that have never been performed here,” Aulia Yamin, spokesperson of the Makassar hospital, told Arab News on Tuesday.  

“There were also in-depth discussions on diagnosis and plans for surgery for highly complex cases.” 

The KSrelief team was in Indonesia in late December, during which Saudi doctors performed free maxillofacial and thyroid surgery on 60 patients, she added.   

The transfer of knowledge by KSrelief also supported Indonesia’s health system transformation plan, which seeks to improve access and quality of services in all regional government hospitals, particularly in eastern Indonesia. 

“Makassar is the primary transportation and health referral hub for eastern Indonesia, which means there’s a high number of cases requiring maxillofacial and thyroid surgeries,” Yamin said. 

“We hope that this collaboration can continue in the future for other cases, so that more Indonesians can benefit from the program.”  

In this photo provided by the Saudi Embassy in Indonesia on Dec. 31, 2025, Saudi doctors are discussing a case at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Central General Hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi. (Saudi Embassy in Indonesia)

The KSrelief program had also included guest lectures by the Saudi doctors, covering facial and jaw reconstruction as well as updated and new approaches to paranoid gland surgery. 

“We’re really thankful to the very hard work that we saw here. The (Indonesian) team was with us day and night and throughout very long surgeries and very complex surgeries,” Prof. Basem T. Jamal, who led the KSrelief team in Makassar, said in a video statement. 

“And not only was it supporting the medical effort, but there was always interest in expressing and exchanging knowledge and experiences, and it was really really, a very rich experience for all of us.”  

KSrelief has conducted similar programs in other parts of Indonesia, including in Medan, North Sumatra in 2024 that focused on training Indonesian doctors in advanced cardiac procedures on adults and children.