With 33 countries participating, the 37th edition of the Saudi Agricultural Fair which kicked off in conjunction with the Second International Aquaculture Trade Fair, held in partnership with the Saudi Aquaculture Society—the exhibition’s strategic partner—at the Riyadh International Exhibition and Convention Center, The Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Engineer Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadli, presided over the opening ceremony, which was attended by representatives of major agricultural and livestock production companies.
Launch of the «Saudi Dates» Brand
Following his tour, the Minister of Agriculture launched the «Saudi Dates Brand» and listened to a detailed explanation from the CEO of the National Center for Palms and Dates, Dr. Muhammad Al-Nuwairan, who highlighted the significant support from the wise leadership —may God support them—for the palm and date industry under an ambitious vision and the National Transformation Program. This support is evident in the issuance of the gracious royal decree approving the Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development Program.
The palm sector has received its share of this generous support for the development of the palm and date sector, which is an extension of the wise leadership’s care and attention toward its farmers across the Kingdom, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020.
He explained that the goal of launching the «Saudi Dates« brand is to enhance the market value of Saudi dates, ensure a high and consistent level of quality, and increase marketing opportunities in local and global markets, noting that the Kingdom is a leader in the date industry, with approximately 28.5 million date palms across 123,000 agricultural holdings, while total date production in the Kingdom stands at 1.3 million metric tons.
100 Aquaculture Exhibitions
Al-Fadli also launched the expansion of the «Samak» project to more than 100 outlets in a number of regions across the Kingdom, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Jubail, and Al-Ahsa, through «Samak» partner stores—which represent the largest retail companies in the Middle East—as well as a number of restaurants.
Engineer Al-Fadli listened to a detailed explanation of the project from Mohammed Athibi, Secretary-General of the Saudi Aquaculture Society. The "Samaq" projectSAMAQ, the National Certification Program for National Aquaculture Products, is one of the ambitious initiatives launched by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, represented by the National Program for the Development of Fisheries Resources, in partnership with the Saudi Aquaculture Society, with the aim of raising quality standards for farmed fish products to provide fresh, safe, and healthy products.
Agreements Signed on the Sidelines of the Exhibition
On the opening day of the exhibition, the Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, signed a contract for the Agricultural Practices Development Initiative, to improve the productivity of vegetables, fruits, dates, and field crops, with King Faisal University. The four-year agreement is valued at a total of (98,900,000.00) riyals.
The exhibition also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between Saudi Airlines Catering and the National Date Center, and a partnership agreement was signed for Saudi Airlines Catering to join the «Samak« customer program to provide a variety of seafood products—including fish, shrimp, and caviar— as meals for its customers, who numbered more than 32 million passengers last year. This step reinforces the role and status of domestically farmed seafood products, as well as their high standards of quality and food safety. An agreement was also signed between «Tabuk Agricultural» and the General Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development, and another agreement was signed between the National Center for Palms and Dates and "Namaa Al-Madinah."
The “Saudi Dates” label was awarded to 10 companies, and certificates of affiliation with the label were presented to 15 other companies. Partners of the “Samak” project were also honored.
