The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Chamber, Abdulrahman bin Saleh Al-Otaishan, said: The forum organized by the Chamber, represented by the Industrial Committee, reflects the extent of the Chamber's interest in developing the industrial sector, and this forum comes in conjunction with the remarkable growth in the industrial sector in general, and in line with the national strategy for industry during the next thirteen years, which aims to raise the contribution of industry to the gross domestic product to 20% by 1441 AH, and reach The value of industrial exports rose to 162 billion riyals in 2012 from 110 million riyals in 1997, with an estimated growth rate of 20% per year, according to the Industrial Development Fund, and we hope that this forum will be an additional support for all efforts made to support this sector, whether from government agencies or the private sector.
Al-Attishan pointed out that one of the most prominent challenges facing the industrial sector is to maintain the growing level of the sector, as the number of factories in the Kingdom exceeded 6 thousand factories, with an estimated investment of one trillion riyals, and said: ”This continuous growth raises the level of optimism for a better future in this field, but at the same time it holds us all responsible for maintaining this achievement, by looking for more prospects and monitoring more opportunities, and following global developments on this level.“
Member of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Development Fund (IDF) said. <For his part, Faisal bin Saleh Al-Quraishi, member of the Chamber Council and Chairman of the Industrial Committee, said: The importance of the forum comes from the importance of the Eastern Province in the industrial aspect, as it hosts world-class industrial complexes belonging to a number of major giant companies, led by Saudi Aramco and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), as well as the presence of industrial cities in Dammam, Khobar and Jubail, most notably the three industrial cities in Dammam, Jubail 1 and Jubail 2, and Ras Al Khair Mining City, all of which attract local and foreign investments estimated in billions, and are the highest in the region, so talking about industry in the Eastern Province must stand before these achievements. <Al-Quraishi added: The industry in the Kingdom and in the Eastern Province is witnessing rapid developments in light of the investment environment in general and the incentives provided by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry represented by the Industrial Cities and Technology Zones Authority, which makes it imperative for us to further study and search for the best available opportunities to continue achievement, overcome difficulties and challenges, and bring the latest technologies, as industry represents an added value to the national economy, in terms of diversifying sources of income, providing goods and community requirements, opening job opportunities for qualified Saudi youth, supporting our development options in foreign trade, and raising the level of services and sectors
