SAUDI ARABIA: Exhibitors at the annual Saudi Agriculture fair in Riyadh promote organic farming and say Saudi demand for reasonably priced organic food is exceeding supply
Record ID:
189236
SAUDI ARABIA: Exhibitors at the annual Saudi Agriculture fair in Riyadh promote organic farming and say Saudi demand for reasonably priced organic food is exceeding supply
- Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Exhibitors at the annual Saudi Agriculture fair in Riyadh promote organic farming and say Saudi demand for reasonably priced organic food is exceeding supply
- Date: 19th September 2013
- Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (SEPTEMBER 16, 2013) (REUTERS) ORGANIC OLIVES FROM THE CITY OF AL-JOUF, IN NORTHERN SAUDI ARABIA EXHIBITION ATTENDANTS WALKING PAST STALL FOR THE AL-JOUF ORGANIC OLIVE AND OLIVE OIL FARM BANNER READING (Arabic and English): "THE LARGEST ORGANIC OLIVE FARM IN THE MIDDLE EAST" VISITOR, IBRAHIM AL-SALMAN DISCUSSING OLIVE OIL WITH A SALES MANAGER BOTTLE OF OLIVE OIL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VISITOR, IBRAHIM AL-SALMAN, SAYING: "Organic products, especially fruits and vegetables are not easily available in the market and are very few. The imported products are very expensive and the local products are very few in the markets. Riyadh is a big city and there is only 10 or 12 locations specialising in the sale of organic products. The biggest problem is that you look to buy but do not find the products." BOTTLE OF ORGANIC OLIVE OIL AND PACKAGED OLIVE LEAVES PACKAGED BOXES OF ORGANIC OLIVE LEAVES WIDE OF EXHIBITION BANNER READING (Arabic): "SAUDI AGRICULTURE EXHIBITION 2013" GENERAL DIRECTOR OF AL-DAYFE COMPANY, SULTAN AL-THNYAN, SPEAKING TO CUSTOMER ORGANIC DATES FROM THE AL-QASSIM REGION, CENTRAL SAUDI ARABIA FARMA FARMS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GENERAL DIRECTOR OF AL-DAYFE COMPANY, SULTAN AL-THNYAN, SAYING: "There is a great demand for organic agriculture. The amount of product is medium to low, because of high prices and high demand from certain customers it is still in the initial growth phase." ORGANIC FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ON DISPLAY CLOSE OF POSTER FOR FERTILISER READING (Arabic): "ORGANIC FERTILISER" FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ON DISPLAY AT STALL FOR FERTILISER AND SEEDS CLOSE OF POSTER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ENGINEER FOR THE MACHINERY AND AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS COMPANY, HAMUDA HAYTHAM, SAYING: "In the last three years there has been a big demand from farmers towards organic farming because there has been a big demand from consumers asking for organic products. We are trying to contact international companies producing organic seeds to import it for the local farmers." TWO VISITORS FROM THE NETHERLANDS LOOKING AT MATERIALS ON DISPLAY AT EXHIBITION (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGINEER FROM THE NETHERLANDS, VINCENT ENGEL, SAYING: "If you compare, for example, the supermarkets and the shops in Holland the assortment is like 30 to 40 percent of the shops is based upon organic food and that kind of stuff. And here if you look for, I don't know if I can say names, like al-Tamimi (supermarkets) they have a very small department of organic food and materials." BANNER FOR THE AL-MAHALLIAH ORGANIC GROUP ORGANIC FERTILISER PRODUCTS MAN LOOKING AT PRODUCT ORGANIC FERTILISER ON DISPLAY VARIOUS OF VISITORS AT EXHIBITION VARIOUS OF CANNED FOOD PRODUCTS VISITORS AT EXHIBITION (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIVERSITY STUDENT STUDYING AGRICULTURE, FAHAD NASSAR, SAYING: "I am a student at the College of Agriculture. I visited the exhibition and found it to be complete, but there is a shortage of organic products, we ask farmers and companies to increase production of organic items and reduce their prices." BANNERS IN SECTION FOR POULTRY COMPANIES VARIOUS OF MAN ARRANGING EGGS IN BOXES LCD SCREEN SHOWING PRODUCTION AT A POULTRY FACTORY WIDE OF STALL FOR THE SAUDI ARABIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT ON DISPLAY AT STALL FOR CHINA CLOSE OF CHINESE FLAG VARIOUS OF A REPRESENTATIVE DESCRIBING A MACHINE TO EXHIBITION ATTENDANTS VARIOUS OF PROCESSING EQUIPMENT ON DISPLAY DEMONSTRATION OF A POULTRY FEED MILL
- Embargoed: 4th October 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Saudi Arabia
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Business,Environment,Industry
- Reuters ID: LVAE2TR2S8W35QEMZU1M6IIW1GBG
- Story Text: Organic agriculture is gaining popularity in Saudi Arabia with customer demand for local organic products eclipsing supply, according to participants in the 2013 Saudi Agriculture exhibition in Riyadh.
The four-day event which came to a close on Wednesday (September 18) attracted more than 20 thousand visitors, with over 300 exhibitors from 13 countries.
Saudi auctioneers and traders hoping to tout their local organic products said organic items imported from abroad were too expensive in the market and while local products were reasonably priced they were scarce.
"Organic products, especially fruits and vegetables are not easily available in the market and are very few," said Ibrahim al-Salman, a Saudi citizen as he looked at organic olive oil on display at the exhibition. "The imported products are very expensive and the local products are very few in the markets. Riyadh is big a city and there is only 10 or 12 locations specialising in the sale of organic products. The biggest problem is that you look to buy but do not find the products."
Sultan al-Thnyan, the General Director of the al-Dayfe company that was exhibiting a variety of their locally produced dates, said organic agriculture had a lot of space for growth in Saudi Arabia.
"There is a great demand for organic agriculture," he said. "The amount of product is medium to low, because of high prices and high demand from certain customers it is still in the initial growth phase."
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Agriculture created a Department of Organic Agriculture (DOA) in 2008, tasking the body with applying the then newly established Saudi Organic Farming Legislation. Government support aimed to encourage farmers to launch organic farming methods.
According to a U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation report in 2012 less than 0.5 percent of agricultural land in Saudi Arabia was being farmed according to organic methods. But the reports stated that that was changing, with the country aiming for 'organic farming to account for 5 percent of its agricultural industry by 2017'.
"In the last three years there has been a big demand from farmers towards organic farming because there has been a big demand from consumers asking for organic products," said Hamuda Haytham, an engineer for the Machinery and Agricultural Materials company taking part in the fair. "We are trying to contact international companies producing organic seeds to import it for the local farmers."
Vincent Engel, an engineer from the Netherlands, said availability of organic agricultural food products at the exhibition and in the Saudi markets were much lower compared with his country.
"If you compare for example the supermarkets and the shops in Holland the assortment is like 30 to 40 percent of the shops are based upon organic food and that kind of stuff," said Engel. "And here if you look for, I don't know if I can say names, like al Tamimi (supermarkets) they have a very small department of organic food and materials."
The exhibition also attracted Saudi students from agricultural colleges and universities, who wanted to learn more about new technologies and machinery in the field.
Student Fahad Nassar said while the exhibition was interesting the country needed to push down the prices of organic products in the markets.
"I am a student at the College of Agriculture," he said. "I visited the exhibition and found it to be complete, but there is a shortage of organic products, we ask farmers and companies to increase production of organic items and reduce their prices."
A budget of around $15 billion has been allocated to the agricultural sector this year targeting projects and initiatives that meet demand for all food products. More than $400 million has been designated for the establishment of the Saudi Organic Farming Association to support organic farmers.
The Saudi government has reported that the kingdom's domestic organic and natural foods sector is currently valued at around $27 million, accounting for 90 percent of the regional GCC market.
The 2013 Saudi Agriculture exhibition, part of the 32nd International Agriculture, Water and Agro-Industry Show, saw varied exhibits at this year's show, including agricultural equipment and machinery, heavy pesticides, fertilisers and organic products, as well as various kinds of products related to animal agriculture such as poultry and cattle feed.
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