RIYADH: Saudi Arabia participated in the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting on Saturday, which took place in Hyderabad in India.
The Saudi delegation was headed by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Fadley said that in the aftermath of COVID-19, food and agriculture production systems worldwide continued to face numerous challenges, at a time when the demand for food for a growing population was increasing rapidly.
“One crucial element in ensuring food security is strengthening rural communities by educating and empowering women and youth,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia in 2018 launched its flagship Sustainable Rural Development Program covering eight different areas, the program has proven remarkably to increase the income of our beekeepers by up to 50%, while a 10% increase in rain-fed small farmers,” he added.
During the meeting, Al-Fadley alsi mentioned the importance of responsible investment in agriculture and food systems.
“We think that digitalization is emerging as a key catalyst to transform the agriculture sector by improving resource efficiency, enhancing performance, and boosting productivity, in this regard, Saudi launched a digital extension platform, which served more than 230,000 farmers and provided 2.9 million agricultural extension services,” he said.
Al-Fadley stressed there is a need for realignment of all humanitarian programs to effectively address the most pressing food insecurity challenges, and added that the Kingdom demonstrated its commitment by completing over 772 food security projects in 71 countries through King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre.
At the end of his speech, Al-Fadley called for G20 agriculture ministers to work together within the framework of SDGs for realizing global opportunities, SPA added.
