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2010-12-04T23:28:00.000-08:00

Middle East demand for organic products growing
01 Dec 2010

JEDDAH: The potential of the Middle East's market for organic products is under-explored and the sector has immense growth opportunities with a predominant youth population in the region taking to healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyles, said organizers of the eighth edition of the Middle East Natural and Organic Product Expo 2010 (MENOPE 2010) Tuesday.

The expo will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center Dec. 6-8.

Addressing a press conference, organizers of MENOPE 2010 said the regional organic food market, currently valued at approximately $300 million a year, was growing at a pace of nearly 20 percent, mainly driven by the rising affinity of the youth population to embrace healthy and natural lifestyles.

Eng. Nadim Al Fuqaha, managing director, Global Links, organizers of MENOPE 2010, said: "The organic products market in the region is at the threshold of growth and the current demand and sales volume reflects the state of European markets between 1985-1990. In comparison to other global markets, even at low volumes, Middle East is still the fastest growing destination for natural and organic foods."

He further said "the Middle East boasts of a highly eco-conscious populace which contributes to the success of the expo here. The expo still remains as the only one that caters to the natural and organic products market in the region. We are positive that the success of the previous years will continue to reflect on the eighth edition of the expo creating a prolific platform for the industry to grow and excel."

MENOPE 2010 will showcase a variety of products spanning across herbals and spices, food & beverages, cereal products, supplements, health care products, natural living, natural cosmetics, healing products, natural remedies, traditional medicines, spas, relaxation facilities, pet products and fabrics.

Joby Mathew Muricken, project manager of the event, said the appeal of MENOPE as a platform for global organic product companies is tremendous.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101201033329/Middle%20East%20demand%20for%20organic%20products%20growing%20

2010-12-04T23:27:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Saudi Govt Creates Co For Intl Agriculture Investments
Tuesday, Nov 23, 2010
By Nour Malas
Of ZAWYA DOW JONES

ABU DHABI (Zawya Dow Jones)--Saudi Arabia has created a government company for agricultural investment abroad as the kingdom phases out local wheat production to save water resources and is considering boosting its wheat reserve supply to last one year, the country's agriculture minister said Tuesday.

"The government in Saudi Arabia has created a new company, a totally government company, for investments abroad," Fahad Balghunaim said on the sidelines of a forum in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
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Ecomagination: what?s green for our customers?

"Any Saudi private company that wants to invest abroad and who has a feasibility study can present it to this government company, and if it is feasible [the government] will join it," Balghunaim said, adding that the kingdom has prioritized water security over local food production in its food security policy.

"We do not have enough water supply in Saudi Arabia to cover our needs," he said. "That meant we have to move from depending on our local production to producing overseas."

Saudi Arabia, the Middle East's biggest economy, falls into the category of 'hyper-arid' countries and has neither major rivers nor lakes. The desert kingdom, like other countries in the Middle East region, is facing extreme renewable fresh water challenges and--at the same time--needs to meet very high water consumption levels through costly seawater desalination.

The new government-owned company for investment in agriculture abroad could also team up with private companies looking to invest in agriculture outside Saudi Arabia, Balghunaim said.

He said Saudi Arabia was looking at boosting its wheat reserves to last one year, from a current six months supply.

"Now, we have a six-month wheat supply and we are thinking of increasing it to maybe one year," he said, adding that the ministry will work within a larger plan involving other government organizations.

Saudi Arabia is still committed to entirely eliminating wheat production by 2016, though it could keep small plots of land for special purposes, such as organic wheat production, Balghunaim said.

"Some small areas will be planted for special purposes, like organic wheat, otherwise we will depend totally on imports," he said.

Balghunaim also said that while local farmers may continue to produce wheat, it was unlikely to be "economically feasible" for them given the government will be importing wheat from abroad and selling it at subsidized prices.

"The government has decided it will not buy wheat from local production farmers. Whether the agriculture sector will continue to produce wheat or not is up to them," he said.

-By Nour Malas, Dow Jones Newswires, +97150 2890223; nour.malas@dowjones.com

Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Co.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20101123000071/Agricultural%20Investments

2010-12-01T23:26:00.000-08:00

Saudi investors facing obstacles in Argentina

By HAZEM AL-MUTTARI

30 Nov 2010

RIYADH: Dr. Fahad Balghunaim, Saudi Minister of Agriculture, said the exponentially high price of fodder is chiefly responsible for the rise in prices of imported and locally produced chickens.

He said the feed price increase is estimated at 40 percent, and noted that Saudi poultry producers have flooded the Ministry with appeals to subsidize the fodder.

"We are considering these applications," he said.

Dr. Balghunaim commented on the matter during the visit Monday by Argentina's Agriculture Minister Julian Dominguez and his accompanying delegation to King Abdul Aziz Center for Genuine Arab Horses in Riyadh.

He said one of the major efforts in the field of economic exchange is to translate the initiative of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, of investing in agriculture in foreign countries into practical measures.

The King is determined to secure a stable, reasonably priced food supply for the Kingdom and the Ministry of Health has tasked the private sector with implementing this initiative, Dr. Balghunaim said.

The private sector has responded positively by entering into partnerships with multinational companies investing in agriculture and investing in countries that are rich in agricultural resources, he said.

He said a Saudi business delegation visited Argentina to explore areas of economic exchange and discovered three obstacles to investment there.

There are concerns about tax exemptions, an investment protection pact and a tax on foreign investors, but an official said efforts are underway to address them.

Argentina's agricultural minister said "we are making intensive contacts with the Foreign Ministry in Argentina to resolve these three issues."

There are no restrictions for Saudi investors to possess lands in his country, he said.

There are some restrictions on the purchase and lease of some projects, but they have not been implemented, he added.

In a related matter, Saad Al-Meqbl, director general of Agricultural Affairs in the Eastern Province, has announced that 12 poultry projects have been shut down because their owners failed to follow regulations.

The projects, which he described as outdated, were in the urban zone.

He said his administration gave the owners a grace period so they could rectify the shortcomings, but they took no substantive action.

Al-Meqbl said a committee of officials from the ministries of Agriculture and Municipal and Rural Affairs have been effective in conducting surprise inspection tours of unlicensed shops selling live chicken.

The inspectors have confiscated more than 15,000 live chicken and the instruments used to slaughter them, he said.

Al-Meqbl further said owners of the poultry farms who violated the regulations were fined more than SR393,000 and that one of them was fined SR184,000 for unlicensed slaughtering of chicken.

Fines will be increased to SR1 million to further deter people, he added.

2010-12-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

Middle East demand for organic products growing

01 Dec 2010

JEDDAH: The potential of the Middle East's market for organic products is under-explored and the sector has immense growth opportunities with a predominant youth population in the region taking to healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyles, said organizers of the eighth edition of the Middle East Natural and Organic Product Expo 2010 (MENOPE 2010) Tuesday.

The expo will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center Dec. 6-8.

Addressing a press conference, organizers of MENOPE 2010 said the regional organic food market, currently valued at approximately $300 million a year, was growing at a pace of nearly 20 percent, mainly driven by the rising affinity of the youth population to embrace healthy and natural lifestyles.

Eng. Nadim Al Fuqaha, managing director, Global Links, organizers of MENOPE 2010, said: "The organic products market in the region is at the threshold of growth and the current demand and sales volume reflects the state of European markets between 1985-1990. In comparison to other global markets, even at low volumes, Middle East is still the fastest growing destination for natural and organic foods."

He further said "the Middle East boasts of a highly eco-conscious populace which contributes to the success of the expo here. The expo still remains as the only one that caters to the natural and organic products market in the region. We are positive that the success of the previous years will continue to reflect on the eighth edition of the expo creating a prolific platform for the industry to grow and excel."

MENOPE 2010 will showcase a variety of products spanning across herbals and spices, food & beverages, cereal products, supplements, health care products, natural living, natural cosmetics, healing products, natural remedies, traditional medicines, spas, relaxation facilities, pet products and fabrics.

Joby Mathew Muricken, project manager of the event, said the appeal of MENOPE as a platform for global organic product companies is tremendous.

2010-11-27T22:17:00.000-08:00

GCC seeks cooperation to achieve food security
Anwar Ahmad
28 November 2010,

The environment, agriculture and food security ministers of the GCC region met and agreed to enhance technology to evade the lurking threat of drought in the region.

The Abu Dhabi Declaration was announced during the four-day conference, ‘SIAL Middle East 2010,’ organised by the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) at Abu Dhabi National
Exhibition Centre.

Speaking at the conference, Fawzi Al Sultan, President of the International Institute for Food Research Policy on Food Security and Safety at the global level and the Middle East and North Africa, said the population in the Middle East and North Africa would reach 700 million by 2050 and as per World Bank reports, the per capita availability of water in the Middle East and North Africa will be reduced by half. This reduction will result to infertile agricultural land, high prices of biofuel and climate changes that will lead to reduction in crop production by 11 per cent, Al Sultan said.

The Declaration emphasised cooperation between the public and private sectors in the development of agricultural and food industries and marketing of agricultural products. This can be achieved by strengthening collaboration among regional and international organisations related to food security, and reinforcing the capacity of United Nations Organisations related to food security, primarily the Food and Agriculture Organisations world wide.

On behalf of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, said the efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the field of agricultural development and enhancing food security and development policies are vital and they should be in line with international best practices. The Minister stressed the need to strengthen cooperation among Gulf countries to achieve food security through strategies at the national and regional level.

According to Dr Jacques Diouf, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the world today is facing a new crisis over rising food prices which exacerbated the problem of food security. Diouf stressed that an interest in agriculture would to a large extend help eradicate poverty and achieve the food security.
Deals worth Dh918m signed

The first Middle East edition of the world’s largest food industry exhibition was also organised as part of the SIAL Middle East 2010 conference. Food industry traders signed trade deals of nearly
Dh918 million with different participating companies.

Around 400 exhibitors from more than 40 countries participated in the exhibition, with 80 per cent of them presenting their products in the region for the first time.

According to the organisers, total deals struck during the event amounted to Dh183.5 million ($50 million), while the various memoranda of understanding are valued at over Dh734 million (around$200 million). All the MoUs will graduate to actual trade agreements in the next three months.

Using Abu Dhabi’s stature as a major trade centre for a vantage point, the participants plan to reach
out to the rest of the region with their products. Rashid Mohamed Al Shariqi, Director-General, ADFCA said “The GCC Ministerial Forum on Integrated Food Policies, held on the sidelines of SIAL, played a large role in turning the event into a great success, The pre-eminent position of Abu Dhabi as a commercial hub with enormous purchasing power and the vital importance of food security for the whole Gulf region also are factors that clinched this success.”

Mohamed Jalal Al Reyaysa, chairman of the organising committee for SIAL and the International Date Palm Festival and spokesperson of ADFCA, said the
massive interest from the food industry in its first edition guaranteed a much bigger participation in the second edition next year.

News Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/November/theuae_November761.xml&section=theuae

2010-11-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 28 November 2010 - 22 Thul-Hijjah 1431 H
BUSINESS
Saudi sugar prices surge, to rise further on global supply deficit

JEDDAH: Sugar prices in Saudi Arabia have recently jumped more than 20 percent and are expected to surge further in the near future as local traders have begun importing sugar at higher prices due to weaker global supply, dealers said Saturday.

Prices started to rise more frequently with the beginning of the import season and the signing of new contracts in October, Salem Al Hadi, a manager of a local food distribution company, said. He added that traders will be forced to increase prices with the depletion of inventories purchased at old prices.

Forecasts of a sharp surge in prices come at a time sugar production in major producers is expected to decline, according to international analysts.

Brazil, the world’s largest sugar producer, accounts for 54 percent of global exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Growers in the region will produce “at best” about 33 million to 34 million tons next year, little changed from this year, he said. Industry group Unica in August forecast output in the Center South to total 33.7 million tons this year.

Sugar producers in the Center-South, Brazil’s main producing region, plan to replant about 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres), or 20 percent of their farmland, to replace aging plants, said Paulo Roberto de Souza, chief executive officer of Copersucar SA, the Brazilian cooperative that ships more sugar than Thailand, the world’s second-largest exporter.

Copersucar is a Sao Paulo-based sugar and ethanol cooperative with 43 associate mills. It plans to export 6 million tons of the sweetener next year. Thailand plans to ship 4.7 million tons next year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Brazil’s Center-South, where about 90 percent of the country’s sugar and ethanol is produced, will replant farmland between January and March, Souza said. That means new crops won’t be ready when the harvest starts in April, he added.

The move will bolster sugar prices because it will probably lead to an unexpected deficit in the 2011-2012 crop year, following a global surplus this year, Souza said. On Nov. 17, the International Sugar Organization forecast a 2.5 million-ton surplus in 2011-2012, up from an excess of 1.3 million tons this season.

Sugar prices have surged 98 percent since mid-May and touched a 29-year high on Nov. 9 on concern that exports from producers such as India may trail expectations. Prices will likely stay above 25 cents a pound in the first half of next year, Souza said.

– Saudi Gazette/QJM

News Link: http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010112888126

2010-11-19T23:50:00.001-08:00

Lebanon's wheat production at risk
The Daily Star
19 November 2010

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s wheat production is at risk from virulent strains of fungi that threaten to devastate production, increase food insecurity and raise prices, a UN report has warned.

An unusually mild winter 2009– 2010 already resulted in a “serious” outbreak in the country of the mutated, and especially potent, adaptation of “rust fungi” but experts are fearful that knock-on effects of global warming will only further intensify the country’s susceptibility in the coming years.

The disease has the capacity to destroy some 50 percent of wheat stock and is presently being blamed for the loss some 1 million hectares in Syria. If serious steps are not taken to monitor the spread of rust fungi and take measures to diversify wheat crops, the situation could spread across the region, said the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Food Outlook report, released Wednesday.

This, combined with other global supply-and-demand factors, threatens to raise food prices further in 2011 and could raise the global food-import bill in excess of $1 trillion.

This level has not seen since the devastating 2008 food-price crisis, where the price of wheat rose by 136 percent in two years, causing widespread political, economic and social insecurity, including violent food riots in Egypt where the price of bread doubled in just a few months.

Economic pressures are presently hitting food prices in Lebanon, where the price of certain vegetables and meat have skyrocketed in recent months.

The price of meat and vegetables, have soared to near-record highs in recent months, with the price of certain goods, such a tomatoes, rising by 100 percent and 400 percent on some varieties, according to Agriculture Ministry figures.

Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan has predicted an easing of the situation by mid-November but the ILO report stresses that countries will remain vulnerable to further shocks if significant step are not made to increase cereal, and especially, corn and wheat production.

“For major cereals, production must expand substantially to meet utilization and to reconstitute world reserves,” ILO said. “Against this backdrop, consumers may have little choice but to pay higher prices for their food.”

Meat prices, however, that are linked to cereal prices and have been high of late, are expected to rise only slightly in the next couple of months, slightly offsetting the rise in other commodities like sugar and fish, the report said.

Hajj Hassan said that price hikes have been aided by external factors, namely global droughts that brought on a surge in international meat prices in September, but gave assurances that prices should range between LL12,000 and LL15,000, and not the LL15,000 to LL24,000 price bracket that they have risen to in recent weeks.

Two weeks ago, spurred on by the Agriculture Ministry, the economy minister drafted a law that would restrict traders’ profit margins to 20 percent. Moreover, the ministry has set up a hotline at the number 1739 where consumers may report excessive prices.

© Copyright The Daily Star 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidDS19112010_dsart45(2)/Lebanon%27s%20Wheat%20Production%20At%20Risk

2010-11-10T23:31:00.001-08:00

MEPA rebuffs report on winter storms
The Saudi Gazette
10 November 2010

JEDDAH: The Meteorology and Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) has rejected a report that the Kingdom will be hit by unusual and heavy storms over the coming three months.

At a press conference here Tuesday, Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz, President of MEPA, said his organization is the only body authorized to monitor weather conditions and issue reports.

Prince Turki's comments came after some newspapers cited Russian Meteorology Center report showing that an unusual cold front would hit most parts of the Kingdom over the next three months. The report also predicted that above-average rainfall would hit central parts of the country.

Prince Turki said MEPA was not connected in any way with the report and that it lacked "credibility".

He said all international centers involved in weather research depend on the results of the statistical weather forecasting samples which analyze the movement of the wind in the stratosphere and changes in the average temperature of the surface of the oceans. Weather stations also monitor changes in the El Ni?o and La Ni?a-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), he said.

ENSO is a periodic climate pattern - warm and cold respectively - which occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean every three to seven years. ENSO causes extreme weather such as floods, droughts and other weather disturbances in many regions of the world, according to Wikipedia.

He said all these elements used in weather forecasts did not show that the Kingdom would be hit by a severe winter and heavy downpours.

On preparations for Haj, Prince Turki said the authority has assigned weather forecasters and analysts at the holy sites, Makkah, Madina and also on highways to monitor the weather and air quality.

Apart from this, there are highly trained climate specialists stationed at the Civil Defense emergency centers to provide a summary of the weather forecasts to the Civil Defense. The authority has also updated its Haj website which is linked to the Civil Defense Command and Control Room and its Operation Room at the holy sites.

Prince Turki said this webpage provides weather reports on the autumn season corresponding to this year's Haj. It also provides weather forecasts for five consecutive days, which are updated daily. It also provides a daily weather forecast report for Makkah.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101110034309/KSA%3A%20MEPA%20rebuffs%20report%20on%20winter%20storms%20

2010-11-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

World must act today to boost rice supply: experts
AFP

HANOI, Nov 09, 2010 (AFP) - Urgent action is needed to reverse inefficient farming methods and boost the world's supply of rice in order to prevent rising poverty and hunger, experts told a major world rice congress on Tuesday.

"We must take action now, not next week, not next month, not next year, but today," Kanayo Nwanze, president of the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, told the gathering in Hanoi.

Rice is the staple food for more than three billion people, about half the world's population, and rice-producing areas are home to nearly 560 million extremely poor people who live on less than 1.25 dollars per day.

"Projected demands for rice will outstrip supply in the near to medium term unless something is done to reverse current trends," Robert Zeigler of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) told the forum.

He said these trends included "slow productivity growth and inefficient, often unsustainable management of natural resources".

Vietnam is the world's second-biggest exporter of rice, behind Thailand, but Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said the country's food production still faced many challenges, including rapid population growth and more frequent natural disasters.

"Ensuring food security is not merely an economic or humanitarian activity," he said. "It actively contributes to national as well as global socio-political stability."

The three-day meeting comes after an IRRI report said Asian countries need to sharply increase and better manage rice stocks to improve food security in the region, where 65 percent of the world's hungry live.

It said that about 90 percent of rice is grown in Asia, on more than 200 million rice farms.

According to an organiser of the congress, Minister of Agriculture Cao Duc Phat, the event aims to "feed the world's fast growing population," which may come up to nine billion people by 2050.

The event, held every four years, is the world's largest gathering of the rice industry and brings together more than 1,000 researchers, traders, agricultural ministers and other delegates from Asia and beyond.

tmh-rob/dla/txw

© Copyright AFP 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20101109T070539ZDLL72/World%20must%20act%20today%20to%20boost%20rice%20supply%3A%20experts

2010-11-07T00:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 07 November 2010 - 30 Thul-Qedah 1431 H
NATION
‘Barley prices to double cost of sacrificial sheep’
FARIS AL-QHATANI

RIYADH: An animal breeder here says the skyrocketing price of barley – used to feed his animals - is likely to double the cost of sacrificial sheep for consumers.

Khaled Al-Shameri, a sheep breeder in Riyadh said: “The price of barley is out of control and at a level we have not seen before. Believe it or not, a bag of Australian barley is now SR53 compared to SR31. Also, the price of one bag of dried bread is now SR15. In the past we used to get it for SR5.” He said the barley prices will be reflected in the price of sheep, and will probably double the cost.

He appealed to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to intensify its campaigns, in conjunction with the Riyadh Mayoralty, to find and punish merchants who tamper with the barley price.
Al-Shameri said there is an abundant supply of barley on the market. The only reason for the astronomical prices was the greed of the barley importers, he added.

He said this also poses a crucial question about the alleged absence of the Consumer Protection Society. He said it was the society’s task to protect consumers from unscrupulous merchants trying to make quick profits.

– Okaz/Saudi Gazette

News Link: http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010110786935

2010-11-03T23:52:00.001-07:00

Canada is Saudi Arabia's largest wheat source
Arab News
03 November 2010

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, which ranks as the largest importer of Canadian wheat in the Middle East and North Africa region, will receive fresh Canadian wheat consignments over the next seven months in a staggered schedule.

The wheat exports from Canada comes after the state-owned Grain Silos and Four Mills Organization (GSFMO) purchased 990,000 tons of wheat from Canada and Germany following a tender announced last year.

"Canada, a large producer of food, also supplied 1.5 million tons of wheat to the Kingdom last year," said Canadian Ambassador David Chatterson on Monday night.

"This was one of the biggest Canadian sales ever, almost half of the Kingdom's total annual consumption," said Chatterson, adding that Ottawa can be a potential partner of Riyadh in many fields, especially in terms of joining hands together in ensuring food security locally, regionally and globally.

The envoy was speaking during a reception hosted at his residence to honor the sponsors of the Terry Fox Run, in which about 500 volunteers participated to raise money for cancer patients.

Top executives and representatives of the companies that sponsored the event including Al-Faisaliah Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel, Nas Air, Centerpoint, Coca-Cola Bottling Plant of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Telecom, and Arinc Saudi Arabia Ltd., all attended.

Referring to the Canadian exports of foodstuffs to the Kingdom, Chatterson said that Canada sold more wheat to Saudi Arabia last year than any other country, a tantalizing trade relationship that has piqued Ottawa's interest.

On the delivery of the new wheat consignments, a GSFMO report said that all wheat consignments would be delivered between Oct 2010 and April 2011. Ten shipments would be sent to Jeddah, while eight shipments will go to the eastern port of Dammam, added the report.

"Saudi Arabia's move to import more wheat has opened a new market for Canadian producers," said the report, while referring to the progressively growing relations between the two countries.

Chatterson also pointed out that an agriculture delegation would visit the Kingdom this month. He described growing relations as "a sort of rediscovery" that had been neglected during the last few years. He also revealed forthcoming programs, including a visit by a Shoura delegation to Canada next month.

He said that a large Canadian health delegation would also visit the Kingdom in January. This is in addition to a major Canadian power and water delegation organized by Export Development Canada (EDC) to visit Riyadh early next year, Chatterson added.

Canadian companies will better understand how to tap into opportunities in the Kingdom's power and water sectors.

EDC reports that power and water projects are booming in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, with over $60 billion of projects planned over the next five years.

By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101103033100/Canada%20is%20Saudi%20Arabia%27s%20largest%20wheat%20source

2010-10-31T02:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 31 October 2010 - 23 Thul-Qedah 1431 H
NATION
Kingdom keen to address food security issue: Irish official
SHAHID ALI KHAN

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is keen to address the food security issue by investing in agricultural land in other countries, according to Danny Cunningham of Enterprise Ireland, which has a branch office in Riyadh.

Cunningham said a one-day seminar on Food Security will be organized at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) Monday. Some leading Saudi businessmen, CEOs and presidents of agricultural companies and members from the Irish trade delegation will attend.

He said Batt O’Keeffe, Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, will open the seminar at the RCCI.

“O’Keeffe is leading a 71-member Irish trade delegation to Saudi Arabia from Saturday to Wednesday. About 50 Irish companies that include companies from the Irish agriculture sector will tour Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam,” Cunningham said.

Fifty innovative Irish firms joining Minister O’Keeffe on the trade mission are from sectors including construction, engineering, information technology, education, finance and consulting.

A unique aspect of the trade mission to Saudi Arabia will be the participation of representatives from each of AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank.

Saudi Arabia is a key high-growth market for Irish firms, Cunningham said.

“Despite the tough global trade climate, Irish exports to Saudi Arabia grew to over €400 million last year,” he added.

Saudi Arabia is Ireland’s largest export market in the Middle East, he said.

More than 70 Irish small businesses are doing business in Saudi Arabia and 20 have a full-time market presence in the country.

Cunningham said Saudi Arabia has been investing in agricultural land procurement in Africa, Brazil and Argentina, as part of a long-term strategy for food security.

Keynote speakers from Saudi Arabia and Ireland will explore possibilities on how to clinch deals with countries that can offer food security for the Kingdom, he said.

“Ireland has expertise in the food and agriculture sector and is ready to offer Saudi Arabia technical know-how and skills required for engaging in agricultural farming in third countries such as Sudan, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina,” he said.

Minister O’Keffe will hold meetings with Abdullah Ahmed Zeinal Ali Reza, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health, and Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Anqari, Minister of Higher Education.

?Ali Reza has earlier said that Saudi Arabia will be investing in agriculture not only in South Africa but in four other African countries in order to teach effective crop growing techniques as well as to transfer valuable skills.

?”Food security is vital,” Ali Reza said. Saudi farmers have managed to establish special techniques for growing more maize per hectare, and the Kingdom has a lot to offer the world in the agricultural sector, he said.

?“We look at Africa not only as a place where products can be harvested, but we look at making Africa a partner in the fight for food security,” Ali Reza was quoted in a media report as saying.

—Saudi Gazette __

News Link: http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010103186494

2010-10-24T03:44:00.001-07:00

High barley prices hit livestock market hard, meat may cost more
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Oct 14, 2010 23:33 Updated: Oct 22, 2010 00:12

AL-HASA: A surge in the price of barley, which has more than doubled recently, has hit the Kingdom’s livestock market hard, triggering fears of an increase in the price of meat during Eid Al-Adha and Haj.

The surge has also resulted in an exchange of accusations between importers and traders of barley on the one hand and livestock farmers on the other, especially in Al-Hasa in the Eastern Province where the price of one bag of barley has soared to SR50, according to a recent report in Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest importer of barley, which is the preferred livestock feed in the Kingdom. The increase in prices, however, has created much commotion with traders and farmers blaming importers, foreign companies and retailers.

Business is so bad that some farmers are even changing professions and selling off their animals. “This is the only option we have to avoid incurring huge losses,” said one farmer, adding that the authorities should be monitoring prices.

“This gives the opportunity to some unscrupulous foreign agents to employ unethical practices of hoarding produce to create artificial shortages to raise prices,” he said, while urging the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to take strict measures to stop this.

“The ministry should publicize the price of barley and other fodders on its website,” said another farmer.

Prices have shot up 30-50 percent, reaching more than SR50 per bag over the last few days in Al-Hasa barley market. The price of one bag of Australian barley jumped to SR50 from SR34 while European barely rose to SR47 from SR30 over the last few months.

Many traders have accused importers and wholesalers for the price rise while importers and distributors blame each other. Some importers attribute soaring prices to the surge in prices in the international market. One distributor said he buys one bag of barley for SR46 and sells it on for SR50, in line with Ministry of Commerce and Industry instructions. The ministry capped the profit margins of barley importers to five percent at the end of August.

A number of Saudi barley traders pointed out that some foreigners, who work as agents in the livestock market, are also behind the price rise. “They impose a hike of SR10 per bag when the products reach Saudi ports. They do this in conjunction with the importers,” said one trader.

Salem Al-Rashidi, a livestock trader, alleged that foreign workers are controlling the barley market in the region. “They are hoarding huge stocks of barley when the product reaches the market, and making it look as if there is a shortage to raise prices,” he said, adding that the absence of proper monitoring by the authorities makes the problem worse.

He further called on the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to resolve the matter.

On their part, a number of importers attributed the soaring prices to the situation in Australia and some major barley-producing European countries such as Russia and Ukraine, which supply the Kingdom. They added that a devastating drought in Russia has prompted Moscow to put a ban on grain exports, especially barley.

A ministry official noted that traders were hoarding stocks to raise prices. Hamad Al-Holaibi, director of the ministry’s branch in Al-Hasa, blamed importers and retailers for spreading rumors about an increase in global prices to inflate prices in the local market.

News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article166781.ece

2010-10-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

Saudis, Italians and Irish join forces to invest in food security

By WALAA HAWARI | ARAB NEWS

Published: Oct 19, 2010 00:52 Updated: Oct 19, 2010 00:52

RIYADH: An Italian delegation of 250 businessmen representing 200 companies will visit Riyadh on Nov. 1 as part of a three-day visit to meet Saudi businessmen and investors.

An Irish business delegation, led by Minister of Trade and Commerce Batt O'Keeffe and which includes directors and chairmen from various investing companies, will also visit Riyadh during the same period.

Businessman Yousuf Al-MaymanI, who organized the visits along with the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said there will be workshops and forums in Riyadh and the Eastern Provinces.

Osama Al-Kurdi, a member of the Shoura Council and CEO of Farrelley and Mitchell Middle East, said the Irish minister of trade and commerce will launch a food forum on Nov. 1 and that Saudi investors will be given an opportunity to learn about food security.

News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article164042.ece

2010-10-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia Nears Argentina
52 || Clarin || RURAL REVISTA || SABADO 9 de octubre de 2010
(Spanish to English translation )

Al Rashid. rales highlight the potential
relationship between ambosbosbos countries.

Demonstrated at a seminar held in Buenos Aires.

Faculty of Economics, University of Palermo organized the Seminar "Agribusiness: business opportunities with the Middle East" by the farmer of Saudi Arabia Turki Faisal Al Rasheed and Argentine professionals in the industry. Among the public, by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Esam Al Thagafi abid.

Turki Faisal Al Rasheed, Chairman of the Saudi agricultural company, Golden Grass Inc., began his speech highlighting the opportunities for cooperation between his country and Argentina. The employer described the difficulties of Saudi Arabia to develop agriculture: "Water scarcity is one of the major limitations of Saudi Arabia to produce food. For this reason, we seek to reduce agriculture in our country and open up opportunities for foreign investment, either by joint ventures with other countries, buying farmland or through strategic alliances. "

According to Al Rasheed, Saudi Arabia has strategic needs of raw materials consisting of 2.7 million tonnes of wheat per year, 1 million tons of rice, 6.3 million tonnes of barley and 14 million tonnes of animal feed each year. Against this background, Al

Rasheed said: "We may partner with Argentina for agricultural investment, the idea would be to shorten the bridge between the two." Al Rasheed said: "We are here to explore the possibility of investing. At this point, we are considering to twenty-two countries. " And he added: "I came here by myself, but in a few weeks, business delegations will come to Argentina to explore the real possibilities."

Daniel O. Melhem, Chairman of the Leaders of Latin America and the Gulf (GLLC) and co-founder and Managing Director of Knightsbridge Partners, agreed with Al Rasheed in the importance of water. He said that today, while China and India have only 20% of water on the planet, the Americas have 40%. And said: "For the first time, Gulf countries are thinking in Latin America, are dismissing other economic powers have become strategic investors," he said.

Gustavo Oliverio, director of the Foundation Produce and Conserve, referred to a study of the organization under which it was projected that by 2020 is expected to increase 72% of wheat production in Argentina, 98% growth for the 54% corn and soybean production in comparison with the average for the period 2007 to 2009. For his part, Ignacio Lartirigoyen, manager of the food industry, stressed the need to "increase production efficiency and diversifying agricultural production in the country."

Souce: Emailed PDF News - GGI Copy

2010-10-10T01:30:00.000-07:00

US agricultural delegation explores new avenues of trade in Saudi Arabia
Arab News
07 October 2010

RIYADH: A visiting trade team from the US had indicated immense interest on Wednesday to import dates and its byproducts on a large scale from the Kingdom.

"We are interested in importing dates and its byproducts from a cooperative body comprising date producers," David Callahan, vice president for business development at the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council, told Arab News Wednesday.

Callahan, who was leading a team of 11 businessmen from the US agricultural sector, was at a luncheon hosted by the council's Riyadh branch at the Equestrian Club.

US Ambassador James B. Smith, Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy and leading businessmen were present at the function.

"This is going to be a new venture where we would like to market Saudi dates in the United States," Callahan said, pointing out that he was insisting on an umbrella organization since his country could get the best variety of dates that could be easily marketable. Describing it as the first ever agricultural trade delegation to the Kingdom, Callahan said that the aim was to fulfill Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's strategic agricultural initiatives focused on food safety.

"We are also looking for a long term contract with the Kingdom for the export of wheat from the US," he said, pointing out that while Saudi Arabia is reducing domestic wheat cultivation to save on water, demand is still growing.

Callahan also said that there are plenty of opportunities in the Kingdom with regard to exporting foodstuffs and agricultural products since Saudi Arabia's population has been increasing.

Al-Jeraisy, who is also director of the Saudi-US Business Council, said that the two countries have enjoyed excellent trade relations for more than 80 years.

"Such an exchange of trade delegations between the two countries will help concerned parties identify new areas of cooperation that would be of mutual interest," Al-Jeraisy said

"The interest by the United States in importing dates is being shown at a time when a group of Saudi companies in the Kingdom is planning to set up a multi-billion riyal factory to produce dates and manufacture its byproducts."

He added that juice, organic drinks, essence and syrups could be produced from dates.

He said that the final stages of the date plant were being worked out and it will soon be installed by a group of Riyadh-based companies.

Last year, US exports to the Kingdom were valued at $10.8 billion, while its imports from Saudi Arabia, mainly oil were worth around $30 billion.

The Kingdom's estimated imports of foodstuffs from the US were worth around $700 million last year.

According to official figures released by the US embassy in Riyadh, the export of foodstuffs from the US had increased by 29 percent during the first half of 2010, compared to the same period last year.

By MD RASOOLDEEN

© Arab News 2010

News Link:

2010-10-10T01:27:00.000-07:00

Expatriates control livestock market in Eastern Province
Arab News
09 October 2010

DAMMAM: Saudi cattle traders have complained about the monopolization of the cattle market by expatriates in Dammam and Alkhobar and called on authorities to put an end to this domination.

They told Arab News that the market is almost void of Saudi youths and that foreign workers are tightening their grip.

"The Saudi youths have opted to stay out of the cattle market either because of the domination of foreigners or because it's hard to make a good profit," said one cattle trader, who did not want his name to be published.

They said expatriates have not only controlled the trade, but they also fix the prices throughout the year, especially during peak seasons.

"The majority of foreigners in the livestock market are not qualified animal traders and many of them are either without iqamas (residence permits) or not working for their original sponsors," one dealer added.

Mubarak Abdullah Al-Arji, a Saudi owner of a trading establishment specializing in livestock, said the domination of foreigners in the livestock market has been going on for a very long time and called for an immediate stop to it.

"Saudis represent about only 10 percent of the workers in the 400 stalls at the livestock market," he said.

Al-Arji said when he was trying to set up his establishment he faced many difficulties, including securing a visible space in the market. "The foreigners are controlling all the best places and are actually deciding prices," he added.

He asked passport police and the municipality to conduct continuous raids of the market to root out foreigners illegally staying in the country as well as those not working for their original sponsors.

"The foreigners are even securing contracts with a number of government departments and retailers to supply them with livestock or meat," he said.

Al-Arji said the importers' prices are far less than the tariffs set by foreigners working in the livestock market.

"The meat sector is vital and therefore authorities need to intervene to regulate it and end foreign control," he said. He added that if properly organized, this sector would provide enough working opportunities for Saudi youths.

Mukhlad Al-Mitairi, owner of a cattle stall at the livestock market, claimed foreigners are behind the hikes in animal prices during peak seasons.

He also criticized Saudis who prefer to deal with foreigners when buying livestock, as they often wrongly believe that prices asked by Saudi traders are much higher.

He called for appointing a sheikh (chief) for the market -- a practice adopted by other marketplaces, and said such a step would benefit consumers.

He expressed surprise over the absence of Saudi youths in the business and claimed they could make a good income.

Al-Mitairi said many of the expatriates working in the livestock market have made fortunes and are now running their own business. "Shortly after entering the market, many foreigners will buy a truck and start trading animals in various parts of the region," he said. He appealed to the authorities to listen to the complaints of Saudi traders.

By FAIZ AL-MAZROUIE

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101007031327/US%20agricultural%20delegation%20explores%20new%20avenues%20of%20trade%20in%20Saudi%20Arabia

2010-10-05T08:46:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, 05 October 2010 - 26 Shawwal 1431 H
NATION
Pakistan continues to export rice to Kingdom
Shahid Ali Khan
Saudi Gazette

RIYADH: Despite the devastating floods in the country, Pakistan can continue to export rice to Saudi Arabia, said Pakistani rice exporters here Monday.

They are part of a 30-member trade delegation, comprising mostly rice exporters, who are in the country to assure the Saudi Arabian authorities that there will not be a shortage of rice this year. They were attending the 29th International Saudi Agriculture 2010 exhibition in Riyadh Monday, the biggest business-to-business agriculture and agro-food event in the Mideast.
“Last year we had a bumper crop of rice, particularly basmati rice, and we have enough stock to allow us to continue the export of rice to Saudi Arabia without any interruption,” said Amir Qayyum, one of the rice exporters participating in the exhibition.

The Pakistani rice exporters say they are in the Kingdom to ensure competitors do not exploit the situation that would lead to overpricing in the local market.

Engineer Saad Bin Ibrahim Al-Fayyad, Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Fisheries and Marine Aquaculture, opened the event Monday.

The event is open to businesspeople and the public between 4:30 P.M. and 10 P.M. until Oct. 7. Also running concurrently with the Saudi Agriculture 2010 exhibition, are two other events – Saudi Agro-Food 2010, the 17th International Tradeshow for Food Products, and Saudi Food-Pack 2010, the International Exhibition for Food Processing and Packaging.

Mohamad Al-Hussaini, Deputy General Manager, Riyadh Exhibitions Company, the organizer of the event, said that Saudi Arabia is the largest economy within the Gulf Cooperation Council, the world’s top food-importing region as verified by the World Trade Organization.

“With a population of roughly 28 million people, the Kingdom’s demand for food and other agriculture products is huge. The Saudi government intends to meet this demand by boosting spending on agriculture and related sectors. Saudi Agriculture 2010 offers insights on how best to maximize domestic prospects while providing a gateway to other lucrative Gulf markets,” said Al-Hussaini.

About 300 exhibitors from Saudi Arabia and 27 countries are participating in the exhibition.

– Saudi Gazette __

News Link: http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010100584729

2010-09-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

Jordan: Cereal production meets a fraction of local needs - DoS
Jordan Times
24 September 2010

AMMAN - Jordan needs to increase twelvefold the area of land it plants with wheat and barley in order to achieve self-sufficiency in these staple crops, a report released Thursday by the Department of Statistics said (DoS).

The report, which covered the year 2009, showed that the Kingdom produced 12,500 tonnes of wheat last year, only 2 per cent of the country's average annual need of 606,100 tonnes. Meanwhile, Jordan's livestock in 2009 consumed 519,800 tonnes of barley fodder last year, whereas production of this crop was only 17,100 tonnes.

Minister of Agriculture Mazen Khasawneh told The Jordan Times yesterday that due to limited resources, only between 400,000-500,000 dunums are planted with cereals each year depending on rainfall, adding that Jordan has recently suffered a series of dry years that have affected the agricultural sector as a whole.

Khasawneh said the ministry's policy is based on supporting farmers, adding that it recently changed its support mechanism to farmers growing cereals from encouraging the planting of more land to promoting higher yields.

"The new support is based on buying wheat and barley products from farmers at the international price plus 50 per cent of the price, plus the cost of transportation," the minister said, adding that this year the ministry bought each tonne of wheat at JD350, while each tonne of barley was bought at JD250, or JD350 for the kind used as seed.

By Hani Hazaimeh

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100925075334/Jordan%3A%20Cereal%20production%20meets%20a%20fraction%20of%20local%20needs%20%2D%20DoS

2010-09-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

Iran Among Top Agro Producers
Iran Daily
22 September 2010

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its latest report declared that Iran, with production of 22 staple crops, is among top seven agricultural producers worldwide.

Iran ranks first in pistachio production, second in date output and 18th in wheat cultivation, Fars News Agency wrote.

Iran is considered as a top pistachio producer across the world.

The country has a good position in production of apricot, almond, cherries, cucumber, watermelon, quince, walnut, gum, silkworm cocoon, fig, peach, lemon, onion, tomato, hazelnut, orange, plum, kiwi, mint, honey, tea, egg plant, and potato, wheat, barley and soy beans.

It has also a high production of rice, sunflower seeds, meat and milk.

But, Saffron, as the Iranian major crop, has not been included in FAO's list.

However, statistics released by Trade Promotion Organization of agricultural exports show that saffron exports have grown by 40 tons in 2009.

This indicates that this precious spice has seen 910 and 1,734 percent rise in exports' weight and value respectively during the mentioned period.

Exports Rise

Director General of Export and Service Promotion Bureau of the Trade Development Organization Mehrdad Jalalipour said fruits exports have grown by 53 percent this year.

He put fruit exports at $130 million during March 21-June 22. While the figure stood at $85 million during the same period of the year before.

Pressurized Irrigation

Agricultural Jihad Minister Sadeq Khalilian said currently close to 90 percent of domestic water resources are used in farming sector, IRIB reported.

He recalled that the fourth five-year economic development plan (2005-2010) had targeted that close to 78,000 hectares of farming lands go under pressurized irrigation.

This is while the current government has implemented the pressurized irrigation across 113,000 hectares of lands, which is beyond the stipulated figure, he pointed out.

On relocation of Agricultural Jihad Ministry to one of Northern provinces, the minister said the administrative office is to be relocated.

Commenting on guaranteed beet purchase, he said the guaranteed purchase is a supportive measure. But, the government does not have to purchase the entire product, he added.

He elaborated that sugarcane output dropped sharply in the past two years.

The figure declined to 200,000 tons from six million tons, he said.

However, this year sugarcane production has again grown to four million tons, he added.

Asked about problems facing silkworm cocoon producers, he put the cocoon output at 1000 tons.

Experts say that fruit production can easily meet national demand. However, irregularities in distribution and sales have caused supply disruptions.

Although Iran, based on figures released by FAO, is among the world's 10 top countries in terms of production of fruits and vegetables, exorbitant fruit prices continue to exert further financial burden on low-income sections.

Compiled by Sadeq Dehqan

© Iran Daily 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100923045635/Iran%20Among%20Top%20Agro%20Producers

2010-09-22T03:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 22 September 2010 - 13 Shawwal 1431 H
Posted by Saudi Gazette
‘Wheat reserves need investments’
By Muhammad Al-Ghamdi

RIYADH – To increase the Kingdom’s wheat reserve from six months to one year would require investments and an increase in the storage capacity, Waleed Al-Khraiji, Director of the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization, has said.

Al-Khraiji made the comment in response to the suggestion made by the Shoura Council to increase the reserve to one year in order to deal with any emergencies and pointed out that the storage capacity could reach 10 years of wheat consumption.

Storage silos can store 2.5 million tons of wheat and projects are under way to add 500,000 tons of capacity, he said.

Al-Khraiji lauded the proposal made by the Shoura Council and noted that Kingdom’s storage capacity already exceeds that of several countries, which have stockpiles to cover four months.

In its session on Sunday, the Shoura Council has recommended that the Kingdom should strive to increase its wheat reserves to face any eventuality.

The Shoura Council’s recommendations include studying ways to increase the benefit from bran in a way that achieves the state’s goal to activate the national plan for making concentrated fodder and making the best use of it. – Okaz/SG

News Link: http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010092283700

2010-09-19T00:48:00.001-07:00

Agricultural GDP put at SR44 billion
Arab News
19 September 2010

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's gross domestic agricultural product reached SR44 billion in 2009, an official report carried by the Saudi Press Agency said on Saturday.

"The agriculture sector's contribution to the non-oil sector increased to 6.6 percent and to the gross domestic product 2.3 percent," the report said.

The report highlighted the remarkable progress achieved by Saudi Arabia in the agriculture sector, despite the presence of a huge area of deserts.

Since its inception in 1963, the Agricultural Development Fund gave 433,000 loans worth SR41.7 billion to farmers to purchase equipment, seeds and fertilizers.

"The fund also provided financial assistance valued at SR13.1 billion for various agricultural activities until 2009," the report said.

Although the Kingdom's production of grains declined from 4.86 million tons in 1994 to 1.6 million tons in 2009, its vegetable output rose considerably.

The total area where grains have been cultivated reached 328,725 hectares by 2009, the report said, adding that the number of livestock reached 14.2 million heads including 435,000 cows, 9.095 million heads of sheep and 810,000 camels.

The Kingdom currently produces more than 1.51 billion liters of dairy products, 760,000 tons of red meat, 508,000 tons of poultry and 96,000 tons of fish annually, the report pointed out.

The number of workers in the agriculture sector rose to 511,000 in 2009 and in the fisheries sector 28,000. There are 12,000 shipping boats in the country.

By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100919032145/Saudi%20Arabia%3A%20Agricultural%20GDP%20put%20at%20SR44%20billion

2010-09-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

Saudi dairy industry secures dominant 61 per cent share of GCC market
Press Release

Khalid Daou.
16 September 2010

Increasing number of health-conscious consumers drives strong demand for dairy food products

Saudi Arabia now accounts for a dominant 61 per cent share of the GCC's dairy market with an increasing number of health-conscious consumers helping sustain the strong demand for dairy food products in the country. Moreover, healthy and nutritious products such as fruit juices, flavoured milk drinks and yogurt are becoming more popular among the younger set of individuals or those in the 13 to 21 age bracket, who comprise up to 70 per cent of the country's total population, further contributing to the robust demand for dairy products.

Taking advantage of the growing consumer preference towards more nutritious food items, Saudi Agro-Food 2010 - The 17th International Tradeshow for Food Products, has organised various dedicated networking events for key industry players to discuss and explore various business and investment opportunities that have recently emerged, particularly in the dairy food segment. Organised by Riyadh Exhibitions, Saudi Agro-Food 2010 will run from October 4 to 7 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre, and will be held concurrently with Saudi Agriculture 2010 - The 29th International Agriculture, Water & Agri-Industry Show; and Saudi Food Pack 2010 - The International Exhibition for Food Processing and Packaging.

Khalid Daou, Project Manager of Saudi Agro-Food at Riyadh Exhibitions, said, "The GCC region's dairy industry continues to consolidate and has now reached a value of USD 2.8 billion. Saudi Arabia, for its part, holds a 61 per cent share of the GCC dairy market, establishing the country as the premier growth destination for key players in the region's dairy industry. Saudi Agro-Food 2010 will continue to provide an ideal platform for both local and international companies to showcase their products and reach out to various market segments, taking advantage of the surging demand for nutritious food items, particularly dairy food products."

Saudi Agro-Food 2010 will feature products and services in areas covering Animal Health and Production; Bakery Products; Canned Foods; Catering Supplies; Confectionery and Chocolates; Cutlery and Crockery; Dairy and Milk Products; Dried Goods; Energy Drinks; Fast Food and Snacks; Frozen and Chilled Foods; Health and Natural Foods; Meat and Poultry; Seafood Products and Special Diet Food products. The event will also incorporate specially designed lectures and workshops that will cover a wide range of industry topics, including food presentation, processing and packaging.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100916075000/Saudi%20dairy%20industry%20secures%20dominant%2061%20per%20cent%20share%20of%20GCC%20market

2010-09-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

UAE global topper in rice re-exports
Khaleej Times
16 September 2010

DUBAI -- A study conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade revealed that the UAE has been the top global re-exporter of rice over the past five years (2005-2009).

The study, which was conducted by Abdel Hameed Radwan, an economics specialist at the ministry's Analysis and Information Department, and supervised by Dr Mohammed Mattar, the department's director, revealed that the UAE's share of global rice re-exports stood at 93 per cent, underlining the country's strategic importance in the global rice trade. The UAE has attained the top spot due to its geographical positioning in a pivotal point between the production, export, and consumption areas in South East Asia and the rest of the world. The competitiveness of the UAE's logistical services and the ease of customs procedures are the major factors that have helped the UAE attain this significant position in the rice trade.

The study revealed that the UAE's economic policy, which is based on free market principles, has aimed at benefiting from the international food commodities market in many ways, such as securing the acquisition of strategic food items to guarantee domestic economic security goals, and to achieve a food surplus for the stability of local markets. The policy also added a new dimension to the equation through making the UAE, with its superior re-export logistical capabilities, a pivotal transit point between producing and consuming regions.

The study highlighted the UAE's efforts to attain an advanced position among global commercial logistics hubs in non-oil trade through investing vast financial resources -- around $52 billion -- over the past 10 years on the transportation, storage and communications sectors. The UAE is now considered by international organisations as one of the five countries with very low export procedural costs, with the current average cost of exporting one container at $593 in comparison with the global average of $1383, making exporting from the UAE 133 per cent cheaper than the global average.

The study also revealed that the value of re-exported rice from the UAE increased from $120 million in 2005 (84 per cent of the overall global rice re-exports) to $112 million in 2006 (68 per cent), $180 million in 2007 (78 per cent). The export value witnessed a big leap in 2008, reaching $515 million (86.3 per cent) and increased even further in 2009 to $519 million, which constituted 93 per cent of the overall amount of global rice re-exports of 607,000 tonnes valued at $555 million.

The US came in second place in 2009 with $11.5 million in rice re-exports, constituting 2.1 per cent of the overall global re-export of the commodity, followed by Hong Kong with a value of $11 million, constituting two per cent of the global sum.

The value of re-exported rice in these three countries reached approximately $541 million and constituted 97 per cent of the overall value of the global re-exports in 2009.

The study added that although the quantity of rice imports to the UAE reached 1.238 million tonnes in 2009, slightly down by four per cent in comparison with 2008, 49 per cent of the imported quantity was re-exported, thus explaining the UAE's advanced position as the most important global importer of rice, in addition to it conducting over 90 per cent of the global rice re-exports.

The study stressed on the need to constantly search for new markets for rice re-exports in order to maintain the lead in the re-export of this commodity globally, and to develop current markets.
Imports

The UAE is considered as one of the top five global importers of rice during the period between 2005-2009. Even though 18 per cent less than the year before, it came in second place in 2009 with rice imports reaching $1.248 billion, constituting 8.8 per cent of all global imports of the commodity.

In terms of volume, the amount of imported rice grew by five per cent in 2009, reaching 8.8 million tonnes in 2009 compared to 8.4 million tonnes in 2008. According to the 2009 statistics, the UAE relies on three main countries for 99 per cent of its rice imports, with India in the lead at 72 per cent, Pakistan at 21 per cent and Thailand at six per cent. These countries are also considered the leading global
exporters of rice.

The study stressed on the importance of avoiding the risks of relying on India for most of the rice imports and suggested increasing Thailand's share, pointing out that there is a steady growth in the reliance on Indian rice at the expense of Pakistani rice while Thailand's share remained the same.
Global exports

The value of global rice exports reached $15.267 billion in 2009, registering a 27 per cent decrease in comparison with 2008, moving in parallel with a 29 per cent decrease in the amount of exported rice of 23 million tonnes mostly from Thailand and India.

The value of global rice imports reached $15.820 billion in 2009, registering a 12 per cent decrease in comparison with 2008.

© Khaleej Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100916032124/UAE%20global%20topper%20in%20rice%20re%2Dexports

2010-09-08T03:01:00.001-07:00

Government urged not to stop cultivation of wheat
Posted by Arab News
By SHAHEEN NAZAR | ARAB NEWS
Published: Aug 26, 2010 00:08 Updated: Aug 26, 2010 00:08

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia should not abandon wheat cultivation and must continue to produce crops depending on the suitability and sustainability of each region, says a Saudi businessman.

Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed, chairman of Golden Gras Inc., a Riyadh-based agricultural company, called on the government to publish the master strategy for the agriculture industry allegedly promised in 2002.

He was referring to a 10-year-old agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and King Saud University. But so far, it has not been made public, Al-Rasheed told Arab News.

In the absence of such a strategy, he said, Saudi Arabia was going to face a major crisis because “currently we are operating at full capacity. We do not have a stock of surplus food or any alternative plan to face an emergency.”

He called on the government to take action, otherwise the Kingdom will have to face the consequences of any crisis, whether it is political or natural, anywhere in the world.

Saudi Arabia relies on foreign supplies for wheat and other staple crops. Wheat prices in the international market have risen by nearly 70 percent since June after Russia suffered its worst drought in 130 years, even banning wheat exports until further notice.

Al-Rasheed said though the situation was not going to affect the Kingdom directly, it should be a cause for concern for planners in the Kingdom. “What if tomorrow there is a crisis in Pakistan’s Punjab province, which is the main source for our rice? We must have a cushion to face any eventuality,” he added.

Al-Rasheed called for establishing Kingdomwide storage facilities for food essentials like barley, rice, oil and sugar. Right now, there are only wheat silos in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, he said.

Currently, Saudi Arabia produces around one million tons of wheat and imports twice as much to fulfill domestic demand. Beyond 2016, the Kingdom will be solely depending on imports as the government has decided to stop wheat cultivation to save underground water for future generations.

Al-Rasheed was of the opinion that there should not be a blanket ban and production should continue depending on water levels in each region.

News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article113862.ece

2010-09-06T03:42:00.000-07:00

Fears grow over global food supply
Posted by CNN
By Javier Blas, Courtney Weaver and Simon Mundy, FT.com
September 3, 2010 -- Updated 1039 GMT (1839 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

* Russia announced a 12-month extension of its grain export ban on Thursday
* Raises fears about a return to the food shortages and riots of 2007-08
* UN called an emergency meeting on food riots in Mozambique left seven dead

(FT) -- Russia announced a 12-month extension of its grain export ban on Thursday, raising fears about a return to the food shortages and riots of 2007-08 which spread through developing countries dependent on imports.

The announcement by Vladimir Putin came as the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation called an emergency meeting to discuss the wheat shortage, and riots in Mozambique left seven dead.

The unrest in Maputo, in which 280 people were also injured, followed the government's decision to raise bread prices by 30 per cent. Police opened fire on demonstrators after thousands turned out to protest against the price hikes, burning tyres and looting food warehouses.

Although agricultural officials and traders insist that wheat and other crop supplies are more abundant than in 2007-08, officials fear the deadly Mozambique riots could be replicated.

The 2007-08 food shortages, the most severe in 30 years, set off riots in countries from Bangladesh to Mexico, and helped to trigger the collapse of governments in Haiti and Madagascar.

The Russian announcement extended an export ban first announced last month until late December 2011, sending wheat and other cereals prices to near a two-year high.

The FAO said that "the concern about a possible repeat of the 2007-08 food crisis" had resulted in "an enormous number" of inquiries from member countries. "The purpose of holding this meeting is for exporting and importing countries to engage."

Russia is traditionally the world's fourth-largest wheat exporter, and the export ban has already forced importers in the Middle East and North Africa, the biggest buyers, to seek supplies in Europe and the US.

Food prices surgeMr Putin said Moscow could "only consider lifting the export ban after next year's crop has been harvested and we have clarity on the grain balances". He added that the decision to extend the ban was intended to "end unnecessary anxiety and to ensure a stable and predict-able business environment for market participants".

"This is quite serious," said Abdolreza Abbassian, of the FAO in Rome. "Two years in a row without Russian exports creates quite a disturbance." Dan Manternach, chief wheat economist at Doane Agricultural Services in St Louis, added: "This is a wake-up call for importing nations about the reliability of Russia."

Jakkie Cilliers, director of South Africa's Institute of Security Studies, said there was concern over a repeat of the protests of 2008: "That certainly strengthened a return of the military in politics in Africa."

European wheat prices on Thursday hit €231.5 a tonne, just shy of last month's two-year high of €236. Wheat prices have surged nearly 70 per cent since January, and analysts forecast further rises after Russia's decision and concerns about weather damage to Australia's crop.

© The Financial Times Limited 2010

News Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/09/02/global.food.supply.ft/index.html#fbid=BPo7wvFPSKL&wom=false

2010-09-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

Millions lost in water leakage per year, says study
The Saudi Gazette
01 September 2010

DHAHRAN - Water leakage in pipeline networks across the Kingdom results in losses amounting to SR3,075 million annually, according to a study conducted by the Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy.

The center is a joint research group consisting of scientists from King Fahd University of Petroleum and MineralsKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The current capacity of desalination plants within the Kingdom is estimated at six million cubic meters per day, a record that is expected to rise to more than 10 million cubic meters per day over the next five years.

Major cities across the Kingdom depend on desalination for more than 90 percent of their water needs.

The center, which is based both at KFUPM and MIT, estimated that 30 percent of the water transported daily across the country via the pipelines, mainly to Riyadh, Jeddah and Madina, is lost due to leakage.

The amount of wastage water, based on SR2.8 per cubic meter, has been estimated at SR3,075 million.

This problem of water leakage causes not only clean water and clean energy losses, but also increases water contamination with hazardous chemicals and metals, according to the study. Medical doctors from the Department of Oncology at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh have already reported that water contamination is causing esophageal cancer in Qassim region, and is now considered a major health problem.

To address the problem of leaking pipelines, the center has proposed the development of conceptual designs of water leak and water contamination detection systems, including the building of working prototypes for both leak and contamination sensing, testing in a laboratory pipe network, and exploring methods of monitoring water distribution system.

The development of the leak and contamination system will be divided in phases and will be completed within five years.

The networks of developed sensors will be installed across the length of the pipelines throughout the Kingdom.

The sensors will have multiple capabilities, including leak detection, temperature sensing, and contamination sensing of at least three priority contaminants. The networks will have wireless connection capable of alarming operators and major water distribution centers of major leaks and critical contamination levels.

The sensors to be developed will become an integral component of the water distribution system in Saudi Arabia, and will eventually help in future planning of better strategies to avoid water leakage and contamination.

By Joe Avancena

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100901043619

2010-09-04T04:19:00.001-07:00

SFDA warns of surprise inspection tours
The Saudi Gazette
04 September 2010

JEDDAH - The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) would soon approve a new plan aiming at preventing the spread of unlicensed or counterfeit medicines and medical preparations, an official at the authority said here on Thursday.

The official said according to the plan, surprise inspection tours would be carried out on pharmacies and medicine warehouses in case the authority receives reports on medicines having caused harm to consumers.

The official pointed out that the authority is laying down a description of the side effects of medicines in order to publish and circulate them.

The new plan, according to the official, also focuses on pursuing unofficial activities in the medicines sector by carrying out preemptive campaigns against sales outlets and creating the mechanisms for withdrawing such preparations from the markets.

It also stipulates fining distributors and importers in case they are proven to have dealt in unlicensed medicines, the official said.

By Abdul Rahman Al-Khatarish

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100904042030/SFDA%20warns%20of%20surprise%20inspection%20tours%20

2010-08-30T02:50:00.000-07:00

Safar: Syria Has Achieved Self-Sufficiency in Wheat Production
Posted by Zawya
SANA (Syria Arab News Agency)
27 August 2010

Minister of Agriculture Adel Safar said Syria's production of wheat in 2010 has covered the entire local needs and achieved self-sufficiency, adding that wheat stockpile will cover the country's need for the next two years.

In a statement to al-Baath newspaper published Wednesday, Safar said that this year's production has also provided the seeds required for the next wheat cultivation season.

He pointed out that the latest indicators of wheat production worldwide have shown that Syria is the least affected by the damages which hit the crop due to drought and its impacts which led to a drop in the global production of wheat, in addition to infection with the yellow rust by 5 percent.

Safar said that Syria's production of wheat reaching 3,3 million tons is very considerable compared to the large reduction in wheat production in many countries, asserting that Syria is one of the few countries which covered its needs from its own production, while several countries in the region tend to import this necessary strategic food.

He pointed out that the ministry has recently adopted a new work plan for wheat cultivation in Syria through implementing deliberated efficient prodecures to deal with the factors that affect wheat cultivation and adopting all precautionary measures to ensure stability in planting this crop.

He added that the measures focused on planting types of wheat that are most tolerant and resistant to drought.

The Minister said that enhancing the potential of success for wheat cultivation is an absolute priority to the country to boost the self-sufficiency policy and food security of such strategic crops.

By H. Zain/ H. Said

© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100828052922/Safar%3A%20Syria%20Has%20Achieved%20Self%2DSufficiency%20in%20Wheat%20Production

2010-08-28T05:13:00.001-07:00

Government urged not to stop cultivation of wheat
By SHAHEEN NAZAR | ARAB NEWS
Published: Aug 26, 2010 00:08 Updated: Aug 26, 2010 00:08

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia should not abandon wheat cultivation and must continue to produce crops depending on the suitability and sustainability of each region, says a Saudi businessman.

Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed, chairman of Golden Gras Inc., a Riyadh-based agricultural company, called on the government to publish the master strategy for the agriculture industry allegedly promised in 2002.

He was referring to a 10-year-old agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and King Saud University. But so far, it has not been made public, Al-Rasheed told Arab News.

In the absence of such a strategy, he said, Saudi Arabia was going to face a major crisis because “currently we are operating at full capacity. We do not have a stock of surplus food or any alternative plan to face an emergency.”

He called on the government to take action, otherwise the Kingdom will have to face the consequences of any crisis, whether it is political or natural, anywhere in the world.

Saudi Arabia relies on foreign supplies for wheat and other staple crops. Wheat prices in the international market have risen by nearly 70 percent since June after Russia suffered its worst drought in 130 years, even banning wheat exports until further notice.

Al-Rasheed said though the situation was not going to affect the Kingdom directly, it should be a cause for concern for planners in the Kingdom. “What if tomorrow there is a crisis in Pakistan’s Punjab province, which is the main source for our rice? We must have a cushion to face any eventuality,” he added.

Al-Rasheed called for establishing Kingdomwide storage facilities for food essentials like barley, rice, oil and sugar. Right now, there are only wheat silos in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, he said.

Currently, Saudi Arabia produces around one million tons of wheat and imports twice as much to fulfill domestic demand. Beyond 2016, the Kingdom will be solely depending on imports as the government has decided to stop wheat cultivation to save underground water for future generations.

Al-Rasheed was of the opinion that there should not be a blanket ban and production should continue depending on water levels in each region.

News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article113862.ece

2010-08-24T04:12:00.000-07:00

Political risks to Saudi farm investment abroad
It should forge strategic alliances with global food giants to facilitate access to land or to final products: BSF

Posted by Emirates247.com
By Nadim Kawach
Published Monday, August 23, 2010

The surge in food prices in 2008 served as an alarm for Saudi Arabia to embark on massive farmland investment in fertile countries. (SUPPLIED)

Saudi Arabia needs to consider political risks in its massive drive to invest in the agricultural sector abroad to meet its soaring food needs and cut a huge farm import bill, according to a key bank in the kingdom.

The world’s oil superpower should also try and finalise strategic alliances with major global food suppliers to ensure its farm needs in the long term and offset risks of shortages or disruptions, Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) said.

In a study sent to Emirates 24|7, BSF said the surge in food prices in 2008 served as an alarm for the world’s richest country in oil and poorest in water to embark on massive farmland investment in fertile countries, including Turkey, Sudan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

“Investing in agriculture abroad is easier said than done because the investments are often politically charged and local players could regard Gulf investors as potential ‘land grabbers’. Certain sub-Saharan African countries are themselves often net food importers, adding to the investment risk, particularly given severe climate changes occurring globally, the first half of 2010 was the warmest on record,” John Sfakiankis, BSF Chief Economist, said in the report.

“Private sector firms, meanwhile, would need support of local governments to develop infrastructure. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that, in addition to public investments, $209 billion in gross annual investments are needed in primary agriculture and downstream services in developing countries to meet global food requirements by 2050.”

BSF said for the Saudi initiative to succeed, private investors from the kingdom should have access to crucial investment information about target countries so they can base their decisions on geography, political risk, rule of law and domestic economic and infrastructure conditions.

It noted that the Saudi government has acted as a facilitator between investors and some of the countries under consideration.

“Even with these elements in place, the system would need to be tested during a food supply crisis at domestic and/or global levels,” it said.

“Private investors looking for higher profits could seek to export their crop to global markets instead of Saudi Arabia. Offtake agreements - signed between producers and buyers of resources - will need to be tested for how legally binding they are and whether the purchaser will be required to incur upfront infrastructure investments. Still, offtake agreements offer little investment risk, especially in mature and developed economies.”

The study said the desert kingdom, the largest Arab economy, could also look to strike “strategic alliances”, not necessarily based on equity acquisitions, with global food giants with decades of experience and local field knowledge.

It said these multinational companies offer “enormous” economies of scale, vertical integration, financing, research capabilities and global strategic alliances.

“Forging such agreements could facilitate access to either land in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere or to final products,” it added.

BSF said the vulnerability of Saudi Arabia, which relies on imports for about 70 per cent of food supplies, was heightened by its plan to phase out the production of wheat and some other water-intensive crops following decades of rapid depletion of non-renewable water resources.

It said the country needs about 2.7 million tonnes per year of wheat, around 800,000 million tonnes of rice and over 6.3 million tonnes of barley, nearly 45 per cent of total global exports. In total, it demands about 14 million tonnes of animal feed each year for livestock, it said.

Citing figures by the US-Saudi Business Council, it said up to 2008, Saudi Arabia was paradoxically a net exporter of wheat despite having one of the world’s lowest renewable water resources.

In order to face challenges of shrinking water resources and global food shortages, a government initiative was unveiled two years ago to reduce wheat production by 12.5 per cent per year until halting it completely by 2016.

BSF referred to King Abdullah’s agricultural Initiative, which took effect in early 2009. Backed by a SR3bn government-sponsored fund, the initiative aims to improve long-term food security by enabling private Saudi businesses to invest in agricultural projects in countries better suited for crop cultivation.

Saudi Arabia hopes to secure supplies of essential commodities such as sugar, rice, wheat, barley, soybeans and maize, livestock and animal feed.

“Given the scale of investments required, the fund would need to be enhanced if it is to achieve a stated goal of building a strategic reserve of basic commodities to avoid any future food crisis,” the study said.

It noted that Kazakhstan’s largest crop is wheat, ranking as the sixth largest in the world. However, agricultural lands were depleted of their nutrients during the Soviet era, which continues to impact production today, it said.

Ukraine provides opportunities for agricultural production (barley and wheat) but like Kazakhstan governance, infrastructure, and transparency issues pose challenges for potential investors, the study added.

“Similarly, Sudan’s agricultural potential could be significant but infrastructure, the hydropolitics of the Nile and stability challenges cannot be ignored. Turkey’s dynamic macroeconomic profile, stable politics and elevated rule of law has attracted foreign investors,” the study said.

“Wheat, first domesticated in southeastern Turkey, is widely produced although traditionally it imports Black Sea wheat from Russia. However, weak harvests are not uncommon due to drought and there is no legal settlement of the usage of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by the riparian states, Turkey, Syria and Iraq.”

Turning to Vietnam, BSF said its attraction is due to its rice production capacity, being the world’s second largest rice exporter after Thailand. Vietnam is one of Asia’s most open economies and among the world’s fastest growing, it added.

As for Egypt, its agricultural potential is constraint by limited arable land, a growing population and water inefficiencies, BSF said.

“Finally, Ethiopia’s agriculture potential is vast but would require considerable infrastructure investments as well as better reorganisation. Ethiopia is often ironically referred to as the ‘water tower’ of Eastern Africa because of the many (14 major) rivers that pour off the high tableland. It also has the greatest water reserves in Africa, but few irrigation systems in place to use it.”

In 2008, the United Nations World Food Program helped feed 11 million people in Ethiopia, which suffers from crop failures and food distribution problems.

“However, there are other countries that need to be carefully examined, notwithstanding their own specific challenges, including Brazil, Argentina, Canada, New Zealand and Australia that offer predictability, rule of law and macroeconomic stability and an extensive farming experience,” the study said.

News Link: http://www.emirates247.com/business/economy-finance/political-risks-to-saudi-farm-investment-abroad-2010-08-23-1.282615

2010-08-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi to save millions of cubic metres of water annually by banning Rhodes grass Grass ban to save huge amount of water
Posted by Zawya
Gulf News
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010

Rhodes grass consumes 24,000 cubic metres of water annually
Abu Dhabi to phase out cultivation of crop used as principal animal feed in region

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is set to save an estimated millions of cubic metres of water annually by banning the cultivation of a water-intensive grass used as a principal animal feed, Gulf News has learnt.

The move is significant as the government is concerned about “unplanned and uncontrolled ground water withdrawals” of more than two billion cubic metres annually, especially in the agriculture and forestry sector.

The withdrawals are causing a decline in ground water levels and water quality in many areas.

The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), which is responsible for the agriculture sector in the emirate, yesterday revealed a plan to phase out the cultivation of rhodes grass, a principal animal feed in the region and a water-intensive crop.

The phase-out will eventually lead to a ban, Gulf News has learnt.

“We are considering the phasing out of the cultivation of rhodes grass which consumes a whopping 24000 cubic metres of water per hectare annually,” a ADFCA spokesman told Gulf News yesterday.

ADFCA Communication and Community Service director Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa said this was the first time ADFCA had phased out a crop to save water.

Al Reyaysa said there were 16,000 rhodes grass farms in the emirate. However the exact area of land being cultivated with rhodes grass, and the amount of water which might be saved by the phase-out, was not readily available.

In lieu of rhodes grass, the authority said it would supply four other types of high quality animal feed, to be imported from various countries, the official said.

More than 65 percent of water is consumed by the agriculture and forestry sectors alone; in comparison 23 per cent consumed by the domestic sector, according to a report produced by the Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in 2006, as Gulf News reported earlier.

“Unplanned and uncontrolled ground water withdrawals, especially in the agriculture and forestry sectors, now total over 2 billion cubic meters per year and have resulted in declining ground water levels and quality in many areas,” the 2006 report said.

With ground water is being pumped 24 times faster than the rate of natural replenishment and desalination being an unsustainable option, conservation is the only solution, officials said.

By Binsal Abdul Kader?Staff Reporter

© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_23082010_240812/Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20save%20millions%20of%20cubic%20metres%20of%20water%20annually%20by%20banning%20Rhodes%20grass%20

2010-08-21T03:33:00.002-07:00

No shortage of Zamzam water
Posted by Zawya
Emirates 24|7
20 August 2010

Saudi Arabia has reassured Muslims worldwide that there will be no shortage of Zamzam water as more than two million pilgrims prepare to converge on Makkah, Islam's holiest shrine, local newspapers reported on Friday.

"The water level of the Zamzam Well at the Grand Mosque has increased," they quoted Yousif Al-Wabil, Assistant Deputy President for Affairs of the Grand Mosque, as saying.

"This has happened because many private wells dug by citizens are no longer draining water from the Zamzam Well."

Al-Wabil said the previous homeowners in Al-Shamyia neighborhood in the holy city had dug these wells in their houses and linked them to their water tanks.

"Muslims all over the world can be assured that there will not be a shortage of Zamzam water," he said as Makkah prepares to receive Moslem pilgrims for the annual Haj season, which is expected to start in late November.

He said all the distribution points in Makkah are provided with a sufficient quantity of Zamzam water, adding that the Prophet's Mosque in Madina will be provided with tankers of Zamzam water on a daily basis.

Al-Wabil rejected accusations that women are only given small areas to pray in the Grand Mosque.

He said that more than 50 per cent of the area on the first and second floors has been allocated for women.

"The presidency draws up its plans for the Umrah and Haj seasons several months beforehand, to ensure a high standard of services to worshippers....it mobilises more than 5,702 employees, supported by thousands of cleaners and maintenance workers, to serve and care for pilgrims around-the-clock."

He said the presidency, a government department in charge of the development of the two holy Moslem cities, also assigns scholars, who speak a variety of languages, to enlighten pilgrims and help them perform the rituals properly.

Al-Wabil said the presidency also allows Umrah pilgrims, visitors and worshippers to bring small amounts of dates and coffee into the Grand Mosque.

"But the mosque's police and the presidency's staff strictly monitor worshippers to make sure they do not bring large amounts of food with them."

About the phenomenon of the reservation of places at the Grand Mosque, he said this illegal activity becomes more prevalent in the last 10 days of Ramadan.

"Most of those who resort to this method are foreigners, who do so for purely financial gain..these people reserve places overlooking the Holy Ka'ba."

"Those who do so will be arrested. Many were arrested last Ramadan and referred to the responsible authorities for punishment." he said.

By Staff © Emirates 24|7 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100821051300/No%20shortage%20of%20Zamzam%20water

2010-08-21T03:33:00.001-07:00

Arab wheat imports peak at over $10bn
Posted by Zawya
Emirates 24-7, 20 August 2010

Wheat imports by the Arab countries climbed to their highest level of more than $10 billion in 2008 and the bill is set to surge in the next years following Saudi Arabia's decision to stop local production, official figures have shown.

Despite a slight rise in wheat production in the region, the wheat import bill hit an all time high of nearly $10.5 billion in 2008, showed the figures by the Khartoum-based Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD).

The Arab League's institution gave no figures for 2009 but said imports could have climbed further because of a relatively high growth in the Arab population, exceeding two per cent annually over the past two decades.

Wheat exports by the League's 21 members remained as low as $279 million in 2008, creating a massive deficit in the trade of this essential commodity.

The figures showed the deficit stood at a record high of around $10.26 billion, which accounted for nearly 33 per cent of the total Arab food gap of about $29.8 billion in 2008. All other food products suffered from a deficit during that year except vegetables, which recorded a surplus of about $876 million.

A breakdown showed the deficit stood at around $3.44 billion in corn, $2.3 billion in barley, $2.16 billion in rice, $3.09 billion in meat, $2.7 billion in sugar, $2.5 billion in cooking oil and fat, and 4.4 billion in dairy.

The report showed Saudi Arabia reeled under the highest deficit in its farming trade given its large food imports and low exports.

Its food export stood at only around $2.49 billion while imports were estimated at nearly $16.6 billion, the highest in the Arab region and nearly a third of the total Arab food imports.

Experts expect Saudi Arabia's food import bill to swell further in the next years as the world's dominant oil power is pushing ahead with plans to halt local wheat production and rely only on imports to save its water wealth.

The desert Gulf Kingdom, which sits atop more than a fifth of the world's proven oil wealth, had produced nearly three million tonnes of wheat per year to meet domestic needs but output is expected to plunge to one million tonnes this year following the government's decision to stop subsidising local production.

In the next two years, output could dip further and the country will become almost totally reliant on imports, mainly from the West.

Officials said early this year said Saudi Arabia, one of the poorest nations in water resources, imported in excess of one million tonnes of wheat in 2009 and imports are projected to surge this year as local output is steadily declining.

Saudi Arabia, with a population of around 27.1 million, has announced that it would begin importing wheat from global markets at the start of 2009 and gradually eliminate a 25-year grain programme that has allowed it to be self sufficient but drained its scarce desert water wealth.

The decision involved a gradual increase in wheat imports and a reduction in the government's purchases from local farmers by 12.5 per cent a year to conserve water following reports about an alarming decline in underground resources.

The figures showed Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, was the second largest food importer despite its massive farm potential. Its food imports stood at around $7.4 billion in 2008 while exports were put at $2.3 billion.

Algeria came third in terms of food imports, which were estimated at nearly $7.1 billion, far higher than its food exports of around $124 million.

The UAE recorded the fourth largest food import bill in the region despite its relatively small population. Its food exports were valued at around $3.6 billion while exports stood at $952 million, leaving a deficit of $2.6 billion.

Analysts attributed the high value of the UAE's food imports to the fact that a large part of them are re-exported to neighbouring markets, mainly through Dubai.

In an earlier study, AOAD said heavy reliance on imports along with poor investments and low land utilisation have boosted the cumulative Arab food imports bill to more than $180 billion over the past decade.

According to the report, the Arab population was estimated at nearly 351 million at the end of 2009 and it has been growing faster than most other nations, at around 2.34 per cent annually since 1990 against a global rate of 1.16 per cent.

"The high population growth in the region is one of the major factors for the persistent deficit in the Arab food balance....other factors include low investments by the public and private sectors, defective government policies, poor water resources, inefficient use of available land and water resources, and the low level of utilisation of available cultivated areas," it said.

"The biggest obstacle has been and will remain the relatively small water resources available in the region. This obstacle has blocked investment in the farming sector and will hinder any programme aimed at exploiting those areas."

AOAD reported last month that Arab countries are mulling an ambitious $65 billion strategy for the next 20 years to boost farm production and cut imports.

The strategy includes three phases, the first of which is a five-year plan during 2010-2015. The second stage will cover the 2010-2020 period and the third one stretches until 2030, when most farm products will nearly double.

AOAD said investments by the public and private sector would have three main targets, including improvement of productivity, expansion of cultivated land by developing water resources, and establishment of joint farming ventures.

"The arable land is expected to be expanded by around 2.9 million hectares by 2030....the main aim is to increase wheat production by 81.3 per cent, rice by 56.5 per cent, barley by 81.2 per cent and sugar crops by 69.3 per cent.....this will largely boost the rate of self sufficiency in these products and at the same time create nearly 8.7 million new jobs," AOAD said.

By Nadim Kawach

© Emirates 24|7 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100821051914/Arab%20wheat%20imports%20peak%20at%20over%20%2410bn

2010-08-21T03:30:00.000-07:00

Govt urged to intervene as mutton prices go up again
Posted by Zawya
Khaleej Times
20 August 2010

JEDDAH: Consumers are turning to beef and camel meat as the price of mutton continues to soar.

According to sources at the Jeddah sheep market, sheep prices have shot up by as much as 40 percent during the holy month of Ramadan.

Several factors have been attributed to this, including the huge increase in prices of fodder and a hike in import charges. Moreover, demand is by far outstripping supply. Two workers at the market, Bashir Saud and Saleh Rabie, told Arab News that there has been an increase in the prices of all types of sheep meat.

"The prices of sheep range between SR850 and SR1,100 during Ramadan," said Saud.

"This is compared to a maximum of SR900 before the holy month. We expect the prices to increase further over Ramadan and the Eid Al-Fitr holiday due to higher demand and lower supply."

The grim market situation has forced several Saudis to abandon some of their favorite mutton dishes and turn to camel meat and beef.

Mishaal Al-Baqami says he only pays as much as SR600 to buy 15 kilograms of camel meat, as opposed to paying more than SR1,000 for a head of sheep weighing the same.

"I am very happy that camel meat, which has a higher protein content and is lower in calories, is now much cheaper. I also see this as a good opportunity to deal a severe blow to greedy traders at the sheep market," he said.

Muhammad Nafie, another citizen, slammed the price rise.

"This is simply exploitation by traders and sheep farmers. The authorities should intervene to rein in such an unjustifiable hike in prices," he said.

Echoing his sentiments, fellow Saudi Majed Al-Shahri said that this unjust price rise affects mainly those on limited incomes.

Saeed Al-Johani and Abdullah Al-Zahrani, regular customers of the sheep market, expressed their unhappiness over the huge increase in prices.

"It was an immense surprise for us to learn that price of a lamb shot up to more than SR900 when we visited the market the other day in Ramadan," Al-Johani said.

Salem Al-Hobaishi claims livestock traders are fixing prices to compensate for earlier losses sustained due to an increase in the prices of fodder and barley.

A trader at Jeddah sheep market, Musallat Al-Baqami, hit back at the claims, saying the imbalance in supply and demand was to blame.

"The market has been witnessing such a huge shortage in lamb for the first time, and this resulted in prices increasing by over 25 percent," he said.

"Prices are being fixed in accordance with the actual cost of importing livestock. Moreover, there has been an increase of 20 percent in cargo charges. Therefore, it is quite natural that this would have a knock-on effect on consumers. Sheep farmers have also suffered due to a recent price hike on livestock."

He added that the profit margin on mutton is lower than ever for traders.

© Khaleej Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100820053528/KSA%3A%20Govt%20urged%20to%20intervene%20as%20mutton%20prices%20go%20up%20again

2010-08-18T02:24:00.001-07:00

Egypt completes canal project to turn desert into farmland
The Saudi Gazette
18 August 2010

ALEXANDRIA - An ambitious $100 million canal project to bring water from the Nile river to the Toshka desert in Egypt to convert arid regions into farmland and boost animal production has been completed.

The Sheikh Zayed Canal project, funded by the Abu Dhabi government, is part of a bigger human settlement plan that aims to construct all modern civic amenities in the desert. The grant was mainly used in the construction of the canal, three irrigation stations and development of farmland.

Toshka is home to the aromatic Al-Ghabeera plant, widely found in the area, and lies 225 km south of Aswan. Toshka has never been exposed to pesticides or chemicals, which ensures production of safe crops conforming to world standards, the water resources and irrigation ministry said.

The canal has a capacity to irrigate about 100,000 acres within the integrated irrigation system envisaged for the development of the southern valley covering over 24 km.

Farms, irrigation and road network, agricultural facilities and buildings, laboratories, factories and other amenities will be built. The water pumping stations are currently making a test run, said Mahmoud Mohamadayn, chairman of the board of directors of Egyptian-Saudi Real Estate Development.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100818044333/Egypt%20completes%20cana

2010-08-18T02:23:00.000-07:00

Iraq not concerned with int'l wheat crisis - ministry
Posted by Zawya
Aswat Aliraq
16 August 2010

BAGHDAD - Iraq is not concerned with the international wheat crisis, the Iraqi Trade Ministry said on Monday.

"Iraq has stored enough wheat to cover the ration card system until the end of this year," the ministry said in a release on Monday as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

It explained that the ministry in this regard has a policy on importation that adopts multiple sources and countries of origin.

"Dispatches of wheat are on the way to Iraq from Canada, the U.S., and Australia," the ministry added.

© Aswat Aliraq 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100817065604/Iraq%20not%20concerned%20with%20int%27l%20wheat%20crisis%20%2D%20ministry

2010-08-17T02:01:00.000-07:00

Kingdom’s state wheat importer in no rush to buy
Posted by Arab News
By SOUHAIL KARAM | REUTERS
Published: Aug 8, 2010 22:52 Updated: Aug 8, 2010 22:52

RIYADH: The Saudi grains authority said on Sunday world wheat prices are expected to retreat further but not to the lows seen earlier in 2010 and that it can wait five months before issuing its next hard wheat tender.

Wheat prices in both the United States and Europe retreated on Friday but held just below two-year highs as markets reacted to the sudden imposition of a ban on grain exports from drought-hit Russia.

Waleed Elkhereiji, director general of Saudi Arabia’s state-run Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO), also said the Kingdom’s domestic harvest of hard wheat stood at 1.1 million tons this year, 16 percent above the 950,000 tons produced last year.

“A drop in input costs, seeds and agricultural equipment, has encouraged planting and led to a higher harvest,” Elkhereiji told Reuters in an interview at GSFMO’s headquarters in Riyadh.

GSFMO has enough hard wheat stocks to cover the Kingdom’s needs until April, without taking into account its 990,000 tons hard wheat purchased in June and additional stocks of 90,000 tons of flour, he said.

“We are also taking delivery of the local hard wheat harvest: We have so far received 900,000 tons and there is an additional 200,000 tons expected to be delivered by end-September. We have a comfortable level of stocks,” he said.

The authority will still need to import 2 million tons of hard wheat before the start of the next harvest in the Kingdom. “It’s the same quantity imported this year.”

Elkhereiji also revealed that GSFMO will start importing soft wheat for the first time. “Some food industries need it so we are going to import it. If it is not in our next tender it will be the one after it, in 2011. We have already started adapting our mills to be able to process soft wheat.”

He declined to elaborate, saying the soft wheat imports have yet to be determined.

Asked about the potential size of GSFMO’s upcoming hard wheat tender, Elkhereiji said: “Current level of prices does not encourage buyers to enter the market with large quantities.”

“The pre-emptive planning we have gives us five months before issuing the next tender... Prices will decline but they will not return to the lows we have seen earlier this year,” he said.

The price spike after Russia announced its export ban was such that GSFMO would have paid an extra $80 million for its latest hard wheat purchase. “We worked hard and luck was on our side,” said Elkhereiji.

“Russia accounts for 10 percent of the world’s wheat trade and the drought that has affected it has not spared some other European producers. Still Canada, the United States, China, India and Pakistan are doing well.

“I don’t foresee a crisis, or a crisis similar to what happened in 2007 and the prices now are still below their level in 2007.”

He noted Saudi Arabia has not imported Russian wheat since 2008.

Since 2008 the Kingdom has sought to save water by reducing the amount of wheat they buy from local farmers by 12.5 percent a year, abandoning a 30-year wheat cultivation plan that had helped the country cover its domestic needs.

The policy has turned GSFMO into one of the biggest new buyers in the international grains market. GSFMO will sign on Tuesday agreements to expand its silos and milling capacity as it readies for an increase in imports.

It will award the Swiss Buhler AG two contracts worth SR368 million ($98 million) to build a 1,200 tons per day flour mill in Makkah and to expand by 67 percent mill capacity in Jeddah to 450 tons per day.

Local firm Haif Company will be awarded a 506 million riyals contract to build grain silos in Makkah with a 250,000 tonnes capacity.

News Link: http://arabnews.com/economy/article97917.ece

2010-08-16T04:31:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: UAE Not Affected By Russian Wheat Export Ban -Official
Posted by Zawya
Zawya Dow Jones News
Monday, Aug 16, 2010

DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--A Russian ban on wheat exports has not affected food prices in the United Arab Emirates, the Arab world's second largest economy, where there are no concerns of a supply shortage, an economy ministry official said Monday.

"There is no shortage of any kind," Hashem Al Nuaimi, director of customer protection at the ministry of economy told Zawya Dow Jones while touring Dubai's central fruit and vegetables market.

"There are alternatives," Al Nuaimi said, adding that commercial buyers chose from alternatives to Russian wheat as they saw fit.

Russia, a major wheat supplier, decided to ban wheat exports from Aug. 15 until the end of the year in response to a severe drought and wildfires that have devastated its harvest. The decision has sent global wheat prices soaring and stoked fears of shortages.

"The price of flour [in the U.A.E.] hasn't changed," Al Nuaimi said Monday. "We can assure consumers that there's been no effect."

The oil-rich Gulf countries import an estimated 85% to 90% of all basic food goods, according to a recent report by the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development.

Egypt--the world's top importer and a major customer of Russia's--said last week that the recent rise in wheat prices could cost it an additional four billion Egyptian pounds, or about $705 million.

RAMADAN PRICES

Al Nuaimi Monday toured the fruit and vegetable market in Al Aweer, a suburb of Dubai, and a nearby co-operative supermarket to check price increases and assure consumers with the onset of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting which began last week, families increase their food purchases by upward of 25%. The anticipated surge in demand sends food prices higher during the month.

"We monitor these prices to make sure any increase is justifiable," Al Nuaimi said.

"I haven't really seen a change compared to last year," said one shopper. "The price of some vegetables has gone up by maybe 5%, but that's normal for Ramadan."

-By Nour Malas, Dow Jones Newswires; +9715 0 2890223, nour.malas@dowjones.com

(Liam Pleven and Patrick Barta of The Wall Street Journal contributed to this article.)

Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Co.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

16-08-10 0943GMT

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZW20100816000045/UAE%20Not%20Affected%20By%20Russian%20Wheat%20Export%20Ban%20%2DOfficial

2010-08-16T04:29:00.000-07:00

UAE: Soaring livestock prices fail to deter meat lovers
Posted by Zawya
Khaleej Times
16 August 2010

RAS AL KHAIMAH -- Despite an increase in animal prices since last week, the Ras Al Khaimah livestock market has been witnessing a heavy rush of meat lovers.

Traders said that for the past few days, scores of people from all over the emirate had been visiting the Ras Al Khaimah livestock market to buy animals.

Noordin Ali, a Pakistani trader in the RAK livestock market said there had been a high demand for sheep in recent days as many people buy and stock animals for the holy month of Ramadan.

"Many people, especially Emiratis with big families, want to buy sheep or goats for Iftar meals early to avoid commission in the market," he added.

Ali noted that during the past few days, many of his Emirati customers had been buying six to 10 sheep, the meat of which could last through Ramadan."An increase in animal prices has not affected our business. Many people are buying animals in big numbers to keep them for Ramadan," said Ali.

Abdullah Al Shihi, a livestock trader in the RAK market said that the prices of sheep and goats went very high from last week. "Iranian sheep is now priced at Dh600, up from Dh400-450 last month, and Somali and Omani sheep now cost Dh550-650, up from Dh400. The price of Pakistani and Indian sheep has also gone up from Dh350 to Dh450-650. Local sheep and goats are the most highly priced in the markets with a record cost varying from Dh850 to Dh1,300.The price of goats of different origins has also increased by Dh100-200 depending on the size.

Mohsin Khan, a livestock dealer attributed the hike in animal prices to the increase in procuring costs on the side of the importers.

He said the prices of livestock tend to increase in different countries during the advent of Ramadan or the festive days because of the high demand. "The significant reduction in the importation of Somali sheep in the recent months also caused some shortage in the markets," said Abdul Karim, another livestock dealer.

Mohammed Hassan, a Pakistani trader of sheep in the RAK market said 40 to 50 trucks full of livestock are entering the market everyday but most of these are sold out even before they are off-loaded. "Some traders from Dubai and Abu Dhabi come and buy animals from importers at the RAK livestock market during this season since the prices here are lower compared to other markets," added Hassan. Meanwhile, veterinary experts from Ras al Khaimah Municipality are conducting daily inspections in the livestock market to ensure that all animals being sold to customers are healthy and free from diseases.

According to municipal officials, the inspections are intended to safeguard the residents' health and would continue throughout Ramadan.

By Sebugwaawo Ismail

© Khaleej Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100816040430/UAE%3A%20Soaring%20livestock%20prices%20fail%20to%20deter%20meat%20lovers

2010-08-15T04:48:00.000-07:00

Russian grain export ban comes into force
Posted by Zawya
AFP
By Stuart Williams

MOSCOW, Aug 15, 2010 (AFP) - A ban on Russian grain exports ordered by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin came into force on Sunday, with the government battling to keep down prices of basic foodstuffs amid a record drought.

According to a government decree signed by Putin on August 5, the ban will extend from August 15 up until December 31, although the powerful premier has indicated it may even extend beyond that date if the harvest is bad.

Russia, the world's number three wheat exporter last year, has already warned that its grain harvest this year will be just 60-65 million tonnes, compared to 97 million tonnes in 2009.

The drought amid the worst ever heatwave in Russia's history has ruined one quarter of the country's crops, according to President Dmitry Medvedev.

The export ban is aimed at keeping the Russian domestic market well supplied with grain to prevent sharp rises in prices. Russia's leaders, acutely nervous of social unrest, will be keen to avoid any discontent over food prices.

"We must not allow an increase in domestic prices and must preserve the headcount of our cattle," Putin said bluntly as he announced the ban.

Last year, Russia exported 21.4 million tonnes of grain and had even embarked on a major new campaign to boost its international market share, an ambition that now must be set aside for some time.

Russia requires 78 million tonnes of grain domestically and can cover the shortfall with 9.5 million tonnes from a state fund and 21 million tonnes left over from last year's harvest, the government has said.

Medvedev acknowledged last week that both market participants and ordinary people were worried about "how this extraordinarily hard summer would affect the prices of the most basic foodstuffs."

He vowed the authorities would not allow grain prices to rise and would keep a close eye on costs for food products such as flour, bread, meat and milk.

The export ban from such a key global player stung world wheat markets, sending prices to two-year highs and sparking worries of a crisis in global food supplies.

Putin has shrugged off the controversy, warning that the ban could even be extended. "There is no need to count on a quick removal of the export ban," he said, adding that anyone waiting for December 31 was doing so "in vain".

There has been criticism of the ban even within Russia, with some players saying it will take the country years to regain its international market position and risks driving domestic grain producers out of business.

In contrast to the tough talk of the prime minister, Medvedev admitted that producers had been put in a difficult position. He said they should be helped so they can prove they had no option but to comply with the ban, allowing them to claim 'force majeure' when they fail to meet contracts.

"We have put producers involved in exports into a difficult position," he said. "Having done this, we must help them have the legal proof that (there) was a force majeure and it was not possible to fulfil deliveries."

sjw/as/ss

© Copyright AFP 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20100815T060328ZKZZ82/Russian%20grain%20export%20ban%20comes%20into%20force

2010-08-14T04:19:00.003-07:00

Saudi Arabia: Date farmers complain of low prices
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
12 August 2010

BURAIDAH - By the beginning of Ramadan overall sales at the Buraidah International Dates Festival increased to between SR20 million to SR25 million, despite a decline in date prices, according to a report published in Al-Watan newspaper Wednesday.

However, not everyone was happy. The lower prices of dates caused problems between auctioneers and buyers. Some farmers refused to sell their produce to buyers who won bids at the auction because they did not like the price offered.

Auctioneer Abu Ali said some farmers took their produce and left the market and came back the following day if they did not like the prices offered at the auction.

By Tuesday morning, the last day before Ramadan, most farmers were not satisfied with the prices.

This was worsened by the increase in the prices of packaging. However, auctioneers demanded planters produce more and said there was a only a "little" supply.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100812044017/

2010-08-14T04:19:00.001-07:00

2010-08-14T04:18:00.001-07:00

Import ban dries up vegetable supply
Posted by Zawya
Friday, Aug 13, 2010
Gulf News

Leafy greens have disappeared from stores

Dubai The prices of certain types of vegetables have rocketed following an import ban when some produce was found to contain unacceptable levels of insecticide, according to local supermarkets.

Greens like parsley, rocca, coriander, and mint have either disappeared from stores or become expensive. These simple leaves are often main ingredients in favourite dishes including taboulah, fatoosh, stuffed vegetables, fish garnishing, and soups that are particularly popular in Ramadan.

“Go to the vegetable market, you’ll see the price increase, this is a reality,” said Dr Hashim Saeed Al Nuaimi, Manager of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy.

The shortage and price spike came after an import ban on these greens from Oman and Jordan when they were found to contain levels of insecticide higher than those approved by the Ministry of Environment, according to V. Nandakumar, Manager of Corporate Communication at Lulu Hypermarket.

“There is a blockage at the Oman border. There is an issue with importing mint and parsley,” he said.

The hypermarket had to find alternative markets to import its daily fare of greens.

Alternative sources

“We are still selling all leafy vegetables for 95 fils a bundle,” he said. “We found alternative sources, we’re now importing from Egypt.”

A small grocery in Al Nahda in Dubai said the greens were hard to come by these days.

“It’s not available in the market for a few days, it comes from outside the country,” said the seller, who declined to be named.

Al Nuaimi told Gulf News the shortages were due to delays as the import countries have asked their main importers and farmers to provide a health certificate before selling their produce abroad.

“This takes time, so there’s a shortage,” he said. “We expect it to be resolved in a few days.”

To address general price hikes and monopolisation in Ramadan, the Sharjah Economic Development DepartmentSharjah Economic Development Department
Sharjah Economic Development Department
SEDD met with representatives of the Ministry of Economy and some foodstuff dealers on Tuesday. They plan to conduct regular inspections visits to markets during Ramadan, the SEDD said in a statement.

Although salaries in the UAE have not increased lately and credit is harder to come by, food is “always on top of the consumer spending priorities,” said Dr Armen V. Papazian, a financial economist and Chief Executive Officer of Keipr, a boutique consultancy that specialises in business analytics and intelligence.

“Taking into consideration the fact that we are now in the holy month of Ramadan, where social and economic life converges around Iftar, we can also expect short term price hikes.”

Food inflation is to be expected with a reliance on imports, he noted.

“External supply shocks and weather conditions have recently led to price increases in a range of foodstuffs. The recent Russian export ban on wheat is an example,” he said.

“The UAE consumer is faced with other issues as well. The region has one of the highest population growth rates, it imports most of its food, and has a water supply issue that constrains domestic agricultural supply growth. Thus, fundamentally, food inflation is expected,” he added.

Avoid hoarding

SEDD urged sellers to avoid hoarding products so that prices can remain stable during the holy month. This is in accordance with article No. 14 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law No. 24 of 2006 and executive regulations, which states that supplies are not allowed to hide any commodities with the purpose of controlling and increasing prices.

While consumers bear the effect of high prices and product monopolisation, they also have to take their own measures according to the SEDD.

“The role of the consumer is to be aware and not to buy commodities in excess during Ramadan, therefore the demand will not rise, and consequently prices will not increase,” it said.

To protect their rights, customers are advised to ask for a dated receipt containing details of all the items purchased in every transaction, SEDD added.

External supply shocks and weather conditions have recently led to price increases in a range of foodstuffs. The recent Russian export ban on wheat is an example.”

Dr Armen V. Papazian

Financial economist and Chief Executive Officer of Keipr

By Deena Kamel Yousef?Staff Reporter

© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_12082010_130805/UAE%3A%20Import%20ban%20dries%20up%20vegetable%20supply

2010-08-14T04:16:00.000-07:00

Jordan: Gov't buys 100,000 tonnes of wheat to shore up supply
Posted by Zawya
Jordan Times
13 August 2010

AMMAN - Jordan on Thursday purchased 100,000 tonnes of wheat from Germany at a cost of $328 per tonne, Minister of Industry and Trade Amer Hadidi said.

Reiterating that the Kingdom's stored quantities of wheat are enough for six months, the minister indicated that the new order will cover the country's needs for another two months and that the government will continue importing wheat to increase the country's reserves in accordance with storage capacity.

"Despite the rise in international wheat prices, which will increase the cost of the government bread subsidy, we will continue supporting bread with the same mechanism," Hadidi told reporters on Thursday, noting that the last order of wheat the ministry purchased was priced at $297 per tonne.

Finance Minister Mohammad Abu Hammour said in previous remarks to The Jordan Times that the rise in wheat prices is expected to cost the treasury an additional JD45 million, to be added to the current wheat bill of around JD150 million.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, international wheat prices have jumped by over 50 per cent since June.

This rapid increase, caused by a drought affecting crops in the Russian Federation, coupled with lower than anticipated outputs in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, is prompting concerns about a repeat of the world food crisis of 2007 and 2008.

President of the Bakery Owners Association Abdul Ilah Hamawi said that absent the government subsidy, bread prices would be three times higher.

The government subsidises each tonne of flour with JD181 and due to this support, the cost to bakeries is only JD77 per tonne, Hamawi explained.

Current prices of bread are JD0.16 per kilogramme, whereas if the product were not subsidised by the government, the price of each kilo of bread would stand between JD0.45 and JD0.50.

By Omar Obeidat

© Jordan Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100813053223/Jordan%3A%20Gov%27t%20buys%20100%2C000%20tonnes%20of%20wheat%20to%20shore%20up%20supply

2010-08-11T02:30:00.000-07:00

Low Arab water wealth blocks bid to ease poverty
Posted by Zawya
Emirates 24-7, 11 August 2010

Rapid population growth has sharply depressed renewable water resources in most Arab countries over the past 50 years and this has obstructed efforts to tackle festering poverty, according to the United Nations.

Since 1960, the population of the Arab members of the UN Economic and Social Commission on West Asia (ESCWA) has grown by around 2.4 per cent, nearly double the world average, the Group said in a study.

It put the combined population of its 14 member states at around 227 million in 2010 and projected the figure to climb above 300 million in 2025.

In contrast, renewable water resources plummeted from a record 3,200 cubic metres per person in 1060 to only around 1,000 cubic metres per person in 2008, the Beirut-based organization said without giving data for the following years.

"Scarce water resources are one of the defining features of the ESCWA region. The high population growth rates have reduced the per capita supply of freshwater in every ESCWA country, hindering efforts aimed at alleviating poverty and promoting sustainable development," it said.

"The emerging change in climatic conditions places additional stress on limited resources. As conventional water resources have became insufficient to meet demand, ESCWA countries have increasingly turned to non-conventional water resources to fill the gap. Non-conventional water resources in ESCWA countries consist primarily of desalinated water and the use of treated wastewater."

The report estimated the total desalination production capacity in ESCWA, mostly in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), at around 26.9 million cubic metres per day but noted such projects are draining the coffers of their governments given the high costs of production and maintenance.

Poor water resources in the Arab world have been cited among the main factors for the low farm productivity and soaring food imports. This allied with slow growth in food exports to largely widen the region's farm gap.

According to the Khartoum-based Arab Organization for Agricultural Development(AOAD), a key Arab League establishment, regional nations have reeled under a cumulative food gap of more than $180 billion over the past 10 years to emerge as the largest single farm importer in the world.

The farm gap, the difference between imports and exports of food products, peaked at around $29.8 billion in 2008 due to a surge in global food prices before it edged down to nearly $27.5 billion in 2009.

The level is nearly quadruple the cumulative gap of around $45 billion during the preceding nine years, when the region's population did not exceed 240 million in early 1990s compared with around 334 million in mid 2008. At the end of 2009, the total Arab population was projected at around 351 million.

AOAD blamed poor water resources in the region, low land utilization and investments, and what it described as defective Arab farm policies.

Nearly three years after they approved a 15-year common farm strategy in 2005, the Arab countries have become more reliant on farm imports as such a strategy remains inefficient in the absence of right policies and sufficient funds, it said.

"There are several obstacles and challenges facing the development of the Arab farming sector...they include low investments, defective government policies, poor water resources, inefficient use of available land and water wealth, and the low level of utilization of cultivated areas," it said.

"The biggest obstacle has been and will remain the relatively small water resources available in the region. This obstacle has blocked investment in the farming sector and will hinder any programme aimed at exploiting those areas."

The report said the Arab world is one of the poorest areas in the world in terms of water wealth, with the quantities of available renewable water resources standing at only around 1.3 per cent of the world's total renewable water wealth although the Arab region accounts for more than 10 per cent of the total world land area.

"The Arab region is considered one of the most arid areas in the world and the per capita share of the water wealth is among the lowest as it has remained much below the global water poverty level of 1,000 cubic metres per year...in some countries, this level is even below 500 cubic metres," the report said.

"As for arable land, it is estimated at nearly 550 million hectares but only around 12 per cent is exploited...even in that 12 per cent part, the farming efficiency does not exceed 60 per cent of the world level...this means the Arab world is facing a real problem of not only low exploitation of arable areas but low efficiency in the cultivated land and its productivity."

In a report last week, AOAD said regional nations are considering launching an ambitious strategy involving investment of nearly $65 billion in the next 20 years to expand their farming sector and ensure food for their fast growing population.

It said the three-stage plan includes sharply increasing the production of wheat and other key products by expanding cultivated areas and irrigation systems.

By Nadim Kawach

© Emirates 24|7 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100811050047/Low%20Arab%20water%20wealth%20blocks%20bid%20to%20ease%20poverty

2010-08-11T02:29:00.001-07:00

New irrigation methods to reduce water usage by 40% in 5 years
Posted by Zawya
Khaleej Times
11 August 2010

DUBAI -- An irrigation demonstration farm in Seih Al Kheir, a first of its kind, was inaugurated on Tuesday in the presence of Rashed Mohamed Al Shariqi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Farmers' Services Centre and Director General of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, and a number of agricultural experts, farmers and farm owners from the
Western Region.

The farm was set up by the Abu Dhabi's Farmers' Services Centre (FSC) to help farmers in the UAE achieve higher productivity and better quality of crops as well as to reduce the use of natural resources through demonstration of modern irrigation technology.

Shariqi said the transition to the new system would reduce water usage for farming by 40 per cent in the
next five years.

"The irrigation demonstration farm will guide and encourage the region's farmers to adopt modern and efficient systems that reduce the use of water and increase agricultural productivity," Shariqi said.

"I call upon our brothers in the farming sector to cooperate with the efforts of the government which are aimed at preserving the nation's resources and improving the people's quality of life," he said.

According to Mubarak Ali Al Qusaili Al Mansouri, Executive Director of Agriculture, ADFCA and Governing Board Member, Farmers' Services Centre, the demonstration farm was modelled on the size and design of regional farms and makes it convenient for farmers to implement the system
in their own farms.

"Given the amount of water wasted in traditional farming practices, the new system promises unprecedented gains for the farmers, including higher productivity and ease and
efficiency of operations.

Current irrigation practices are not sustainable and have a detrimental effect on the natural environment. Up to 60 per cent of water applied on farms in Abu Dhabi's Seih Al Kheir area is wasted by current irrigation
practices," he said.

A plan for eight more irrigation demonstration sites in Abu Dhabi's Western Region has been set for the coming year.

© Khaleej Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100811040824/New%20irrigation%20methods%20to%20reduce%20water%20usage%20by%2040%25%20in%205%20years%20

2010-08-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

Egypt and US unite to protect Afghan wheat, as Egyptians fear wheat crisis at home
Posted by Zawya
Daily News Egypt
11 August 2010

CAIRO: Afghanistan's entire wheat crop may be at risk of devastation from a wheat rust disease called Ug-99, which originated in Uganda in 1999, said Egyptian and US officials at a press conference held Tuesday at the Ministry of Agriculture.

The disease, which can devastate entire crops within days and has already spread through parts Africa and Asia including Afghan-bordering Iran, will be fought in Afghanistan through the dissemination of Misr-1, a recently developed variety of disease resistant wheat, the US Department of State said in a statement.

The new strand was created through a joint effort between Egypt's Agricultural Research Center (ARC), the United States Department of Agriculture, as well as the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, amongst others, United States Ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey explained to members of the press.

The US State Department highlighted the gravity of the issue by explaining that Ug-99 has the potential to eviscerate 70 to a full 100 percent of Afghanistan's annual wheat crop without the introduction of Misr-1.

Wheat represents "between 2.1 and 2.5 million hectares, or approximately 60 percent of all cropland in Afghanistan," and constitutes 70 percent of the Afghan's annual caloric intake.

Agriculture is a crucial element of the Afghan economy, as it provides its citizens with 85 percent of their food and wages, the statement highlighted.

With the support the of the United States, which will provide transportation of the new wheat seeds to Afghanistan, and pay for the cost of the seed, Egypt will initially provide 150 tons of wheat for delivery, which will be multiplied through 2010/11 to 3,000 tons in all, the US Department of State said.

The initial delivery will ensure that 65 percent of its rust-resistant seed stocks for the 2010 planting season, which will increase the following year by five to six times, the statement explained.

Scobey stated that through this international effort, Afghan farmers' livelihoods and food supply would be protected.

She congratulated Egypt on being one of the first countries in the world to have created a resistant wheat variety to counteract the new, potentially devastating disease.

Scobey explained that Egypt was selected to collaborate on the US' efforts to aid Afghan farmers due to Egypt's expertise and the advances the ARC had made in developing disease resistant wheat seed.

Minister of Agriculture Amin Abaza was optimistic that the new Egyptian variety would be successful in protecting future Afghan crops, as it had already been tested with success in Afghanistan in November 2009, as well as in Ethiopia and Kenya, two countries which have been hit by the deadly disease.

The notion that Egypt, one of the world's biggest wheat importers, would be providing wheat to a foreign country struck some members of the audience as odd if not irrational at a time when speculation is swirling that Egypt may be struck by a serious shortage of wheat due to the fires the have engulfed parts of Russia - one of Egypt's main wheat exporters - that have ravaged wheat crops this past week, which has forced the country to temporarily ban wheat exports until the crisis has been contained.

In reaction to the news of the export ban, Trade and Industry Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid said in a statement, "Egypt has a wheat supply to cover the production of subsidized bread for the upcoming four months."

Rachid said that the government acknowledges people's concerns especially as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is set to begin on Aug. 11, when bread consumption traditionally increases.

Abaza reiterated Rachid's statements, adding that Egypt has undertaken a broad strategy over the years to increase self-sufficiency as well as productivity with regards to wheat production.

Further, he stated that Egyptian society must reduce loss of productivity and inefficiencies through the rational use of bread.

Abaza also highlighted that the Egyptian government recently struck a deal with France to import 250 tons of wheat to help stem the loss of wheat that was set to arrive from Russia.

Asked whether the United States would be willing to fill in the wheat export lacuna left by Russia due to its recent export ban, Scobey riposted that, in fact, the US had experienced a generous wheat crop year, and was, therefore, "open for business" if Egypt was so inclined.

It was also mentioned by Abaza that Egyptian companies should strongly consider establishing agricultural farms in Nile basin countries, such as Ethiopia, to help bolster shortcomings of national agricultural production, as these countries have vast lands to be exploited as well as sufficient sources of water to meet agricultural needs.

He added that this concept is currently being studied, but feasibility studies have varied thus far.

© Daily News Egypt 2010

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2010-08-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

UAE not affected by Russian wheat ban
Posted by Zawya
Gulf News
Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010

no imports of grain from that country

Dubai The UAE is unlikely to be affected by the wheat export ban that Russia declared on Sunday after drought and wildfires triggered shortage fears.

Local traders said that while prices will fluctuate, supply will be unaffected as Russia does not export wheat to this country.

Kamal Vachani, director of Al Maya Supermarkets said the ban in Russia has “nothing to do with UAE” because wheat in the local market doesn’t come from Russia.

The wheat shortage threat comes less than a week before the beginning of Ramadan that usually drives up sales of foodstuffs. “Wheat was enjoying a comfortable supply-demand status from the start of the year, but fundamentals have taken a U-turn with the development of drought conditions in Russia and the export ban,” said Pradeep Unni, Senior Relationship Manager at Richcomm Global.

“GCC nations that depend a lot on imports to meet their food needs could see a shortfall in supply, but a massive rise in prices isn’t expected in the UAE as the nation does not completely depend on Russia for its import requirements.

“If other Black Sea producers, especially Kazakh-stan and Ukraine, ban their exports, a price rise could be inevitable as globally there could be a price spike due to this. This situation isn’t likely to last for long as other production centres are likely to catch up with the supply shortages,” Unni said.

Vachani said prices for wheat will be “much lower” especially during Ramadan, since retailers want customers to enjoy the month. “There is enough stock,” he said.

A spokesperson for Foodstuff Traders Group, a local wholesale trader, said the grain supply in the country will not be affected but prices surely b will be.

With the kind of speculation, it [price] is already up 30 per cent, if the situation escalates, it could rise another 30 per cent,” the spokesperson said.

He said the price fluctuation doesn’t have much to do with supply and demand, but more about news that can drive the price of any commodity higher.

“The government will need to [regulate], otherwise this kind of nonsense will continue,” he said.

The UAE’s wheat supply is sourced through various international markets such as Ukraine, Australia, Canada, Argentina, while Turkey and India supply wheat intermittently.

“The UAE never used to buy Russian wheat and it will be able to get it from the different countries although at a higher price,” the spokesperson said.

GCC nations that depend a lot on imports for meeting their food needs could see a shortfall in supply, but a massive rise in prices isn’t expected in the UAE as the nation does not completely depend on Russia for its import requirements.”

Pradeep Unni,

Senior relationship manager at Richcomm Global

By Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter

© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_09082010_100844/UAE%20not%20affected%20by%20Russian%20wheat%20ban

2010-08-09T02:34:00.000-07:00

Saudi state wheat importer says it’s in no rush to buy
Posted by DailyStar.com
Monday, August 09, 2010
Souhail Karam
Reuters

RIYADH: The Saudi grains authority said on Sunday world wheat prices are expected to retreat further but not to the lows seen earlier in 2010 and that it can wait five months before issuing its next hard wheat tender.

Wheat prices in both the United States and Europe retreated on Friday but held just below two-year highs as markets reacted to the sudden imposition of a ban on grain exports from drought-hit Russia.

Waleed Elkhereiji, director general of Saudi Arabia’s state-run Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO), also said the kingdom’s domestic harvest of hard wheat stood at 1.1 million tons this year, 16 percent above the 950,000 tons produced last year.

“A drop in input costs, seeds and agricultural equipment, has encouraged planting and led to a higher harvest,” Elkhereiji told Reuters in an interview at GSFMO’s headquarters in Riyadh.

GSFMO has enough hard wheat stocks to cover the kingdom’s needs until April, without taking into account its 990,000 tons hard wheat purchased in June and additional stocks of 90,000 tons of flour, he said.

“We are also taking delivery of the local hard wheat harvest: We have so far received 900,000 tons and there is an additional 200,000 tons expected to be delivered by end-September. We have a comfortable level of stocks,” he said.

The authority will still need to import 2 million tons of hard wheat before the start of the next harvest in the desert kingdom. “It’s the same quantity imported this year.”

Elkhereiji also revealed that GSFMO will start importing soft wheat for the first time. “Some food industries need it so we are going to import it. If it is not in our next tender it will be the one after it, in 2011. We have already started adapting our mills to be able to process soft wheat.”

He declined to elaborate, saying the soft wheat imports have yet to be determined.

Asked about the potential size of GSFMO’s upcoming hard wheat tender, Elkhereiji said: “Current level of prices does not encourage buyers to enter the market with large quantities.”

“The pre-emptive planning we have gives us five months before issuing the next tender … Prices will decline but they will not return to the lows we have seen earlier this year,” he said.

The price spike after Russia announced its export ban was such that GSFMO would have paid an extra $80 million for its latest hard wheat purchase. “We worked hard and luck was on our side,” said Elkhereiji.

“Russia accounts for 10 percent of the world’s wheat trade and the drought that has affected it has not spared some other European producers. Still Canada, the US, China, India and Pakistan are doing well.

“I don’t foresee a crisis, or a crisis similar to what happened in 2007 and the prices now are still below their level in 2007.”

He noted Saudi Arabia has not imported Russian wheat since 2008. Since 2008 the country has sought to save water by reducing the amount of wheat they buy from local farmers by 12.5 percent a year, abandoning a 30-year wheat cultivation plan that had helped the country cover its domestic needs.

The policy has turned GSFMO into one of the biggest new buyers in the international grains market. GSFMO will sign on Tuesday deals to expand its silos and milling capacity as it readies for an increase in imports.

It will award the Swiss Buhler AG two contracts worth 368 million riyals ($98 million) to build a 1,200 tons per day flour mill in Mecca and to expand by 67 percent mill capacity in Jeddah to 450 tons per day.

Local firm Haif Company will be awarded a 506 million riyals contract to build grain silos in Mecca with a 250,000 tons capacity.

News Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=117963#axzz0w8gXnJVF

2010-08-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia: Inflating prices of essential goods 'haram,' scholars say
Posted by Zawya
Arab News
07 August 2010

JEDDAH: Most supermarkets and shops in the Kingdom increase prices of foodstuffs and other consumer goods before the holy month of Ramadan to make huge profits by exploiting the needs of people.

"This is prohibited in Islam," said Aabid Al-Sufyani, principal of the Shariah College in Najran, adding that traders should not exploit occasions such as Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr or any other seasons to raise prices.

"Rising prices without any reason is an injustice and those who are guilty of that deserve tough punishment," the Islamic scholar said.

Al-Sufyani's opinion has been widely acclaimed by scholars as well as the general public inside and outside the Kingdom. He urged traders to fear God. "Traders should consider the interest of the public, inspired by the meaning of Islamic unity and solidarity."

He said traders who inflate prices of goods at certain times should be given deterrent punishment as their activities harm the general public, especially people on limited incomes.

A number of Al-Azhar scholars said they were in full agreement with Al-Sufyani and called for imposing stiff punishments on such traders.

Dr. Jouda Abdul Ghani Basyuni, principal of the Shariah College at Al-Azhar University, said raising prices of essential commodities during Ramadan and other seasons, without any valid reason, is prohibited in Islam and it contradicts Islamic teachings.

"It comes in the category of taking people's money through falsification," he said, adding that the Qur'an prohibits that.

"It has become a common practice that traders reach an agreement to increase prices during peak seasons to make profits. This is not allowed in Islam."

Muhammad Rafaat Othman, a member of the US-based Islamic Research Academy and Muslim Jurists' Council, said hoarding goods with the intention of increasing their prices in the market is "haram" or prohibited. "This is exploitation of people's need."

In his statement, Al-Sufyani urged traders to fear God and not cause any harm to the public by raising prices. He also advised the public to use the holy month to engage in worship instead of wasting their precious time in unnecessary shopping, giving traders an opportunity to exploit them.

Meanwhile, sources at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said its inspectors had observed considerable increases in prices of several products just before Ramadan, including prices of food products.

Inspectors also noticed that a single product is sold for different prices at different sales outlets because of the Kingdom's free economic policy.

Arab News toured a number of shops and supermarkets in Jeddah and found 8 to 30 percent increases in prices of foodstuffs.

Shoppers said any increase in prices would aggravate their problems, especially during Ramadan when expenses peak, as they are already bearing the brunt due to inflation and the recent hike in rent prices.

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100808051646/Saudi%20Arabia%3A%20Inflating%20prices%20of%20essential%20goods%20%27haram%2C%27%20scholars%20say

2010-08-07T02:58:00.002-07:00

Saudi Arabia: Mayoralty urged to check prices of vegetables, fruits
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
07 August 2010

JEDDAH - Members of the Municipal Council have called on Jeddah Mayoralty to intensify supervision of the central fruit and vegetable market and check on price tampering by traders ahead of Ramadan.

Hussein Ba'aqeel, Chairman of the Municipal Council in Jeddah, accompanied by Hassan Al-Zahrani, Deputy Chairman of the Municipal Council, and Ahmad Banajeh, a member of the council, made an inspection tour of the central fruit and vegetable market in Al-Safa District and the new market east of the highway on Thursday. They checked the hygienic conditions, prices of vegetables and fruits and listened to the suggestions of consumers, salesmen and traders.

Following the tour, Ba'aqeel said that there has been a considerable drop in the hygienic condition. He also stressed the need to set up a specialist laboratory to periodically test fruits and vegetables to ensure their conformity with health standards. Ba'aqeel bemoaned the lack of sufficient supervisory staff to monitor prices and their manipulations by certain expatriate staff.

In its upcoming meetings, Ba'aqeel said, the Municipal Council would discuss the public benefit markets.

The council would write to Jeddah Mayoralty with its suggestions "so as to upgrade Jeddah's markets to convert them into markets of international standard," he said.

The markets now, he said are unhygienic, crowded and not suitable for families.

By Muhammad Al-Dagei

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100807051034/Saudi%20Arabia%3A%20Mayoralty

2010-08-07T02:58:00.001-07:00

Prices of fruits, vegetables go up sharply in Dammam
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
07 August 2010

DAMMAM - Fruit and fresh vegetable prices have increased sharply in the Dammam municipal wholesale market. The prices, wholesale dealers have warned, may rise further due to supply-related problems.

Onion imports have also been affected slightly because of floods in some states in India, the largest onion exporter to the Mideast.

Prices of potatoes, tomatoes, onions and garlic, commonly used in meal preparations during Ramadan, have also increased owing to high demand from retailers and less availability.

According to traders in Dammam municipal wholesale market, imports from Syria and Jordan have decreased and tomatoes and capsicum are expected to become more expensive with the onset of the holy month of Ramadan.

Likewise the prices of oranges, bananas, grapes and apples have also gone up slightly with increased demand. Most supermarkets in the Kingdom have increased the prices of fruits and vegetables as people begin their Ramadan shopping.

By Faisal Aboobacker Ponnani

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100807051305/Prices%20of%20fruits%2C%20vegetables%20go%20up%20sharply%20in%20Dammam%20

2010-08-07T02:57:00.001-07:00

Qatar: No shortage of wheat for six months
Posted by Zawya
The Peninsula
07 August 2010

DOHA: Qatar has procured adequate wheat stocks to make sure that no shortages of this basic food commodity take place in the country at least over the next six months.

The step has been taken in view of the crisis that threatens to escalate wheat prices worldwide due to depleting production and supplies.

Wheat supply security guaranteed over the coming six months means that wheat flour prices in Qatar would remain stable, a local Arabic daily reported yesterday.

It quoted the general manager of Zad Holding, formerly Qatar Flour Mills, Tariq Mohammed, as saying that Qatar had signed wheat import deals to procure enough stocks for local consumption over the next half-a-year.

The daily said Russia's announcement on Thursday that it was banning the export of wheat over the next four-and-a-half months since millions of acres of its land had been affected due to drought and fires, was unlikely to adversely impact wheat supplies to Qatar.

Tariq Mohammed said flour prices remained stable in the country despite an upswing being witnessed in the rates of the now-precious grain worldwide for the past 23 months since the supply crisis raised its head.

This is because the Qatari government has been subsidising flour for the benefit of the common consumer here. According to him, Qatar imports wheat from Australia and Canada, and not from Russia, which accounts for some eight percent of world wheat production.

© The Peninsula 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100807055056/Qatar%3A%20No%20shortage%20of%20wheat%20for%20six%20months%20

2010-08-07T02:47:00.000-07:00

The Ministry of Environment and Water culls 500 goats
Posted by Zawya
WAM (Emirates News Agency)

Dubai, Aug 05th, 2010 (WAM)--The Ministry of Environment and WaterMinistry of Environment and Water has executed 500 heads of sheep infected with proven 'Brucellosis', a common disease that could be contracted by man and animal as well.

Legal actions have been taken for the execution of animals for violating the import regulations in force in the UAE as per the ministerial resolution number 548 for the year 2008, in addition to the violation of procedures for the quarantine in accordance with the Federal Law No. 6 of year 1979, on the veterinary quarantine.

The ministry asked wholesale livestock breeders and importers to log into the website or check with the ministry to learn about the conditions required for the import of live animals and taking into account the quarantine measures in the country of origin, comply with the requirements and health regulations and conduct laboratory tests of live animals. The Ministry is seeking to achieve its strategic objectives and establishment of bio-security to ensure application of the health standards for incoming shipments through the border crossing points in order to preserve the health of all animal from epidemics, and hence the safety and quality of food products. It reiterated that it is working continuously to provide veterinary care at the border crossing points, whether air or land or sea.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100805130015079/The%20Ministry%20of%20Environment%20and%20Water%20culls%20500%20goats

2010-08-05T03:31:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia: Authorities dismiss rumors on Zamzam
Posted by Zawya
Arab News
05 August 2010

JEDDAH: The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs dismissed reports on Wednesday that Zamzam water from the sacred well might not be clean or hygienic and maintained that its distribution was being monitored round the clock.

"Utmost care is given to the blessed Zamzam water. The pumping of water out of the well is being monitored regularly," a presidency spokesman told Arab News.

He added random samples were constantly taken from the well and checked to make sure that the water was fit for human consumption. "We also take samples from the containers and check them," it added.

The presidency asked citizens and foreigners to ensure that holy water was being hygienically stored, as leaving it in the sun could contaminate it.

The blessed water is pumped out of the historic well via stainless steel pipes and filtered using ultraviolet technology. It is then transported to the cooling stations before it is distributed.

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100805040118/Saudi%20Arabia%3A%20Authorities%20dismiss%20rumors%20on%20Zamzam

2010-08-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kuwait: Growing saffron spice is pricy
Posted by Zawya
KUNA (Kuwait News Agency)
03 August 2010

KUWAIT -- Precious saffron plants, with high nutritional value, distinguished crimson color, aroma and taste, widely used in Arabian coffee recipes in the Gulf region as a sign of hospitality, are costly to grow.

Despite the fact that there have been several attempts to grow saffron crocus in the Gulf to help lower the high cost of that spice; studies showed that it is rather pricy to grow this crop especially in areas such as that of the Gulf zone, Supervisor of the agricultural committee at the Gulf forum Mamdouh Al-Anzi told KUNA. Studies revealed that saffron, originally planted in Iran, Spain and Kashmir, is too costly to grow, he said, and explained that in order to get 500 grams of saffron, around 70,000 flowers should be planted.

Saffron becomes lighter when dried. An amount of 25 kilograms turn into five grams when dried, he said.

Some sellers deceive customers through mixing saffron with herbs that resemble saffron in color and easily dissolved in water, such as safflower.

The cost relies however on the redness of saffron threads; the more red they are the more expensive they get, he said, adding that factors such as moist, smell, and volume were taken into account.

Al-Anzi noted the nutritional value and the medical uses of saffron as researchers found that it helped in the treatment and prevention of cancer as it contained cancer-countering substances such as carotenoid.

By Abdullah Al-Harbi

© KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100803115034/Kuwait

2010-08-03T01:40:00.001-07:00

Jordan: Gov't to ensure affordable food during Ramadan
Posted by Zawya
Jordan Times
03 August 2010

AMMAN -- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Rajai Muasher on Monday stressed that the government has taken several procedures to address any imbalances that may occur in the local market during Ramadan.

Heading a meeting of the higher committee for prices at the Ministry of Industry and Trade yesterday, Muasher said the government is working to protect the middle class to ensure the availability of food items at affordable prices, calling on traders to maintain good relations with consumers, a ministry statement said.

He urged the committee to hold year-round meetings, highlighting its responsibility to assist the Consumer Protection Society (CPS) in raising consumer awareness.

Pointing to major decisions taken by the committee, Minister of Industry and Trade Amer Hadidi said the committee has established an early warning system to predict future imbalances in the local food market, adding that government-run consumer corporations will sell fruits and vegetables in their branches across the Kingdom this Ramadan.

He noted that a media campaign will be conducted by the CPS and the chambers of commerce and industry to raise consumer awareness on appropriate market prices. Hadidi indicated that technical committees were also formed to study market demand for various goods and determine their prices, according to the statement.

Hadidi said the committee has also opened 30 parallel markets across the country and is continuously briefing food traders and importers on local supply and prices of foodstuffs.

The committee meeting was attended by several officials and representatives from the commercial sector in addition to consumer advocates, the statement added.

© Jordan Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100803053219/Jordan%3A%20Gov%27t

2010-08-03T01:38:00.000-07:00

Evaluation of Oman coastline to study impact of global warming
Posted by Zawya
Oman Daily Observer
03 August 2010

MUSCAT -- The land movement along Oman's coastline needs to be reconstructed and quantified in order to assess and quantify the expected climate changes. This is very important because coastal zones like the coast of the Sultanate are important for human societies and official statistics reveal that more than 50 per cent of the Omani population live along the coastline in Muscat and Al Batinah region.

This was stated by Dr Gosta Hoffmann, Assistant Professor of Applied Geosciences at GUtech.

Dr Hoffmann and a team of the Department of Applied Geosciences at GUtech are working on a research project and trying to find out Oman's status in global climate change. "For the Sultanate it is very important to evaluate the evolution of the whole coastline. This is important to quantify and predict the implications of global climate change for groundwater resources to define the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure concerning natural hazards," said Dr Hoffmann.

"Oman's coastline will be of significant value for the future development of the country resulting in conflicting land use demands, developing potential which is restricted by natural limitations such as water or land," he said. Dr Hoffman said human activities such as burning fossil fuels, coal, oil, gas and deforestation lead to an increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Carbon dioxide generally absorbs heat radiation from the Earth's surface which leads to higher temperatures.

"If climate changes were small or slow this would not be a problem, societies could adapt, however the changes are huge and fast."

Dr Hoffmann started his scientific career at the University of Greifswald in northern Germany where he obtained his PhD. His dissertation focused on the Late Pleistocene and Holocene coastal evolution of the Baltic Sea.

Fascinated by this topic he went on to become a research fellow in this area at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. During this two-year post doctorate study he concentrated on the evolution of the Rhine Delta. In 2008, he joined the research group of Neotectonics and Geohazards at RWTH Aachen University.

Dr Hoffmann has also guided geological field trips in various countries.

Citing global data Dr Hoffman said during the 20th century sea level rose by about 17 cm and since 1850 the 12 warmest years were between 1995 and 2007. Climate has changed throughout the Earth history, this is a natural process, he said and added that "the global climate change is linked with global changes in sea levels.

"During the last ice age, about 20,000 years ago, the sea level was about 120 metres below the present level."

Suggesting the ways Dr Hoffmann urged individual and community action to minimise emissions of carbon dioxide as well as to develop adaption strategies. Burning less fuel or coal, foster the use of solar energy and adapt in coastal areas the implementation of coastal management strategies.

By Kaushalendra Singh

© Oman Daily Observer 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100803060109/Evaluation%20of%20Oman%20coastline%20to%20study%20impact%20of%20global%20warming

2010-08-02T03:53:00.001-07:00

Oman: Fish prices on upswing as Ramadan nears
Posted by Zawya
Times of Oman
02 August 2010

MUSCAT: The rise in the prices of fish is worrying customers, especially with the holy month of Ramadan, round the corner.

Incidentally, the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had recently urged importers, distributors and retailers to stay away from jacking up prices of essentials commodities during Ramadan. "The increase in price has happened despite the government keeping a constant vigil on the price situation," customers complain.

But there is some hope for the consumers because a meeting hosted yesterday by Oman's Chamber of Commerce and Industry attended by dealers, suppliers and representatives from the Department of Consumer Protection in the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Consumer Protection Association discussed the current price situation.

Khalil bin Abdullah Al Khonji, chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, the meeting was held since the chamber wanted to appeal to the traders to provide basic food commodities at a reasonable price during the month of Ramadan."

He added that the meeting also discussed the current prices and opened the door for discussion between suppliers and traders. There is a need for them to cooperate in public interest.

"Through this meeting, it was also possible to know about the proportion of consumption and rates of rise in prices and sales," said Al Khonji.

Meanwhile, fishermen attributed high prices to the high temperatures because of which the catch is less. Khaled Ali, a fish trader said, "Fishermen are charging high prices because of increased demand and lower volumes. This explains why the dealers are selling at a high rate."

But consumers are extremely unhappy. Abdullah Al Balushi, a teacher, said, "The fish prices can be compared to that of gold."

Rashid Mohammed, an employee in the government sector is hoping that the price will come down.

"Fish based dishes are integral part of Iftar meals. With prices so high it would hurt the pockets of the common man. I request the concerned authorities to seriously look into the matter and pull up the erring dealers," he said.

The Consumer Protection Department in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has been closely watching retail prices of essential commodities at supermarkets/hypermarkets on a weekly basis.

Supervisors are also visiting food outlets and the fruit and vegetable market to check prices during the peak season when the demand soars.

"Moreover meetings with suppliers, traders and owners of shopping centres will be held to discuss the situation in the markets and create more coordination and cooperation so that the consumers benefit in the end," an official said.

By Fahad Al Ghadani

© Times of Oman 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100802050555/Oman%3A%20Fish%20prices%20on%20upswing%20as%20Ramadan%20nears

2010-08-02T03:50:00.000-07:00

SFDA warns against Jibal Faifa bottled drinking water
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
02 August 2010

RIYADH - The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has warned against the use of bottled drinking water from Jibal Faifa Water Factory in Sabya Governorate as it contains high level of bromate.

The factory is owned by Jazan Development Company (Jazadco) in Jazan region.

SFDA has written to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's Agency for Consumer Affairs and the Sabya Governorate Municipality to take necessary measures to stop the production of this bottled drinking water and withdraw it from the market.

SFDA is monitoring all bottled drinking water factories to check bromate level.

The Authority said necessary measures would be taken against violating factories.

Bromate in drinking water is undesirable because it is a suspected human carcinogen. The US Environmental Protection Agency developed a level that it considers protective of non-cancer health effects from long-term exposure to bromate.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100802045933/SFDA%20warns%20against%20Jibal%20Faifa%20bottled%20drinking%20water

2010-08-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Arab cereal imports peak in 2009
Posted by Zawya
Emirates Business 24-7, 01 August 2010

Low land utilisation allied with rapid population growth and poor investment bolstered the Arab world's imports of wheat and other cereals to a record high of more than 59 million tonnes in 2009, official figures have shown.

The value of the imports edged down last year after hitting an all-time high because of a surge in global food prices but the volume of the imports gained nearly one million tonnes, showed the figures by the Khartoum-based Arab Organization for Agricultural Development.

The volume of imports surged despite a sharp rise in Arab cereal production, which jumped by nearly 17.8 per cent to peak at 54.9 million tonnes.

But AOAD noted that the rise in output was offset by a steady growth in the Arab population, standing at around 2.5 per cent to reach 352 million at the end of 2009, one of the highest growth rates in the world.

The figures by AOAD, a key Arab League establishment, showed the combined cereal imports by the 21 Arab countries swelled to a record high of 59.7 million tonnes in 2009 from 58.7 million tonnes in 2008 and 57.1 million tonnes in 2007.

The imports last year included around 29.4 million tonnes of wheat, slightly higher than the 2008 wheat imports of 29.3 million tonnes.

Corn imports surged by nearly 1.5 million tonnes to 15.5 million tonnes from 14 million tonnes while barely imports edged down to about 10.8 million tonnes from 10.9 million tonnes. Rice imports remained unchanged at 3.9 million tonnes.

The report showed the value of cereal imports slumped by around 9.6 per cent to $17.2 billion last year from $19.1 billion in 2008 after surging by around 24 per cent over 2007, when it stood at nearly $15.3 billion.

Wheat imports were valued at about $nine billion in 2008, lower than the 2008 import value of $10.5 billion but far higher than the imports of $7.7 billion in 2007.

The figures showed the value of corn imports slipped to around $3.2 billion from $3.4 billion while that of rice and barley slumped to $24.7 billion from $26.2 billion and to $22.7 billion from $23.7 billion respectively.

Exports of cereal were a fraction of imports, valuing at around $916 million in 2009. Their volume was also as low as 3.3 million tonnes in 2009, higher than the 2.6 million tonnes produced in 2008 but equivalent to that in 2007.

"The Arab cereal production accounted for only around 1.3 per cent of the world's total cereal output of nearly 2,230 million tonnes last year," AOAD said.

Given their high food imports and low exports, Arab states have reeled under a massive farm gap over the past two decades. AOAD's figures showed the cumulative gap exceeded $180 billion in the past 10 years.

The report attributed the worsening gap to several factors, including high population growth, low farming investment, flawed agricultural policies in some regional nations, and poor exploitation of available arable land.

Although the Arab countries have a vast farm potential as their arable land exceeds 550 million hectares, only around 12 per cent of it is utilised.

Despite the enforcement of a 2005-2020 farm strategy, which involves more investment and exploitation of arable land, Arab nations have become more reliant on foreign food imports and the bill is expected to surge in the coming years because of higher food prices and the absence of major farm projects.

"According to recent estimates in the Arab world, spending on food accounts for the lion's share of the total spending by Arab families, especially in rural areas, where more than two thirds is spent on food...this level has sharply risen over the past period because of the surge in food prices," AOAD said.

"As a result, most medium income families have joined the low income category and many of them have become unable to meet other family obligations...the problem is complicated by the fact that many families are now unable to fund such services as education, health and social development...this will only threaten social stability and lead to more diseases among the poor."

The report said it expected further complications in less developed Arab nations, including an increase in poverty and unemployment rates, which are already high because of a rapid population growth and poor economic performance.

"The food price surge will also adversely affect the ability of Arab families to save and this will depress their living standards...this in turn will prevent many of them from carrying out any projects in rural areas, leading to further drop in growth."

The report said it had noticed a substantial decline in the consumption of some essential food products, including meat, dairy and egg because of the price rise.

"This means many Arab families are now having less proteins.....this has already led to an increase in diseases resulting from malnutrition in some areas...increasing reliance on hydrocarbon-rich food items have also triggered sharp supply shortages in flour and bread.....in some less developed Arab nations, there have been reports that citizens have started to have less meals."

The absence of proper policies has allied with other factors to sharply boost the Arabs' reliance on imported food, leading to a steady rise in their farm gap.

Analysts expect the Arab wheat import bill to surge in the coming few years following Saudi Arabia's decision to halt local wheat production and rely on foreign markets to preserve its dwindling water wealth.

The desert Gulf Kingdom, which sits atop more than a fifth of the world's proven oil wealth, had produced nearly three million tonnes of wheat per year to meet domestic needs but output is expected to plunge to one million tonnes this year following the government's decision to stop subsidising local production. In the next two years, output could dip further and the country will become almost totally reliant on imports, mainly from the West.

The decision to rely on imported wheat follows a surge in Saudi Arabia's food imports over the past few years, with the bill peaking at over $12 billion in 2009 compared with $9.6 billion in 2006 and $8.75 billion in 2005.

The figures showed Saudi Arabia is recording one of the fastest growth rates in food imports in the Arab world, averaging around 8.3 per cent during 1995-2005.

In 2008, Saudi Arabia alone accounted for more than 40 per cent of the total Arab food gap, the difference between farm exports and imports.

"The Arab population was estimated at nearly 351 million at the end of 2009...since 1990, it has grown by nearly 2.34 per cent annually compared with global growth of about 1.16 per cent," AOAD said.

"The high population growth in the region is one of the major factors for the persistent deficit in the Arab food balance...another result of the high growth is that it boosts demand for food, which in turn pushes up prices...this means a large number of people will find it difficult to get their food needs."

By Nadim Kawach

© Emirates Business 24/7 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100801051223/Arab%20cereal%20imports%20peak%20in%202009

2010-08-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia: Rice 'price war' at its peak
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
01 August 2010

RIYADH - The months-long "price war" between major rice traders has reached its peak, informed business sources have claimed.

The "price war" began when some merchants started selling rice at much lower than the average cost price, sources said, describing "this kind of competition" in the market as "not good" because it would harm the interests of consumers who will be sold inferior quality or "adulterated" rice.

According to a report in Al-Watan Arabic daily newspaper Saturday, stores have confirmed that prices have declined in the last few weeks.

The prices, they claim, are lower than they were at the same time last year.

The commodity report issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry also said rice prices are declining slightly.

Muhammad Al-Shalaan, Director General of Al-Shalaan Rice Company, fears that consumers will be harmed eventually.

"Prices cannot go lower than they are now, but if they do, it would be the result of a price war that started between merchants several months ago."

He said current prices are 10 percent less than the cost price. "For example, a 10-kilo bag is sold for less than SR46, while the logical price is SR50."

"The fact is that merchants must have a good profit margin that enables them to continue carrying out this important economic activity," he said.

When asked about the steps he intends to take if one or more merchants reduced prices further, Al-Shalaan said his company would not do the same. "We'll just leave the choice to the consumer who would naturally look for the higher quality."

A major rice merchant in the Kingdom, who preferred to remain anonymous, said it was "not possible" for the current prices to continue until the end of the year. He expected prices to start rising by the last week of Ramadan.

Abdulaziz Al-Othaim, Executive President of Abdullah Al-Othaim Shopping Center, said it is unlikely that prices would decline further.

The rice market in the Kingdom is estimated to be worth more than SR4.5 billion. The country imports between 1 and 1.3 million tons of rice and an individual consumes 45 kilograms annually which is higher than the global standard. For example, Iran's consumption of rice is about two thirds of Saudi Arabia's, while its population - 75 million - is more than double that of the Kingdom.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100801042726/Saudi%20Arabia%3A%20Rice%20%27price%20war%27%20at%20its%20peak

2010-07-31T06:15:00.001-07:00

Saudi Food Traders Set To Meet SAR20B Demand In Ramadan-Report
Zawya Dow Jones News
Saturday, Jul 31, 2010

BEIRUT (Zawya Dow Jones)--Food traders in Saudi Arabia have completed their preparations to meet a substantial demand for their products in the holy month of Ramadan estimated at 20 billion Saudi riyals ($5.33 billion) or 20% of the full-year local food market valued at SAR100 billion, pan-Arab Al Hayat daily reports Saturday citing a trader.

Demand triples in Ramadan compared with other months, Abdullah Al Othaim, chairman of the supermarket chains owner Abdullah Al Othaim Markets Co. said according to the paper, adding that huge quantities of food products are available on the market.

Newspaper website: http://ksa.daralhayat.com/ksaarticle/167804

-By Beirut Bureau, Zawya Dow Jones; +961-1-985 757; BeirutZDJ@zawya.com

Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Co.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

31-07-10 0659GMT

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZW20100731000011/Saudi%20Food%20Traders

2010-07-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia: New steps soon to curb entry of banned goods
The Saudi Gazette
31 July 2010

JEDDAH - The Ministry of Commerce is devising a new work mechanism to prevent the entry of goods that are not in conformity with specifications and are potentially harmful to consumers.

Sources in the ministry said the implementation of the new plan, to be carried out jointly by the ministry, the Saudi Arabian Standards (SASO) and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA,) will start at the country's entry points and will gradually cover the monitoring of shops.

The sources said consensus has developed on new penalties against those dealing in counterfeited items and that these will be issued as soon as they are approved. SASO has admitted that cosmetics and herbal mixtures not in conformity with specifications are being sold in the market.

Dr. Muhammad Al-Kanhal, head of SASO, said campaigns are constantly carried out to remove such items from markets in cooperation with relevant authorities, noting that SASO is continuing to educate consumers about the harmful effects of these products.

By Abdul Rahman Al-Khatarish

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100731050014/Saudi%20Arabia%3A%20New%20steps%20soon%20to%20curb%20entry%20of%20banned%20goods%20

2010-07-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

Growing wheat prices burn UAE's roti makers
Posted by Zawya
Emirates Business 24-7, 31 July 2010

The sharp increase in the global wheat prices is worrying several hundred Afghan tandoori roti makers whose profit margin is coming under pressure.

There are many Afghan tandoor outlets in different parts of the UAE which solely make the traditional Afghan bread, especially for customers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Wheat prices have been skyrocketing due to an alleged cut in production in Russia, Europe and flooding in Canada and wheat growing areas of India. India, the second largest wheat producer in the world, is reportedly facing an "emergency situation" of a lack of storage for its grain stocks, with about 10 million tonnes of wheat and rice at risk of rotting due to exposure to monsoon rains.

Wheat prices soared by 20 to 25 per cent to touch $280-290 per tonne this month alone.

The Afghan nanwais (bread-makers) said the volume of rotis sold per day has come down by almost half and some of the shops have closed because of pressure on margins.

Says Yar Mohammed, owner of Marakish Bakery in the Sharjah Industrial Area: "The wheat prices have gone up from Dh 50 per 50 kg packet to Dh 90 now. For many years, we have been selling one roti for 75 fils and there are some bakeries selling even at 45 fils per roti, because there is no business and they are trying to lure customers by using low quality wheat."

He said the profit margins of roti makers have been thin and the volume of business has come down. "We used to sell 1,800 to 2,000 rotis per day when there were many customers in the Sharjah Industrial Area. Now the daily sales volume is down to 500 or 600 rotis."

He said Afghani roti is normally bought by inmates of the labour camps and residential buildings in the area.

The Sharjah industrial area has more than 40 bakeries, all engaged in the same business.

© Emirates Business 24/7 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100731055430/Growing%20wheat%20prices%20burn%20UAE%27s%20roti%20makers

2010-07-31T05:03:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia: Ministry steps up food checks ahead of Ramadan
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
29 July 2010

RIYADH - The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has told regional officials to step up checks on food outlets "to ensure compliance with health regulations and protect consumers" as Ramadan approaches.

"All places related to public health need to be inspected more often and it must be ensured that food outlets offering a variety of food, particularly iftar and suhour meals, are in compliance with health regulations," the ministry said.

The ministry made special mention of stores selling dried fruit and nuts, the consumption of which increases in Ramadan, as well as date packaging plants and sweet and confectionary outlets. General hygiene, the ministry said, was to be inspected along with that of employees at shops and stalls offering food.

The ministry also banned the display of food and drink products on the ground in front of stores, and instructed officials to check that food was being transported and stored correctly and hygienically.

Several shops selling unhygienic food stuffs were either penalized or ordered closed recently in Jeddah.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100729053135/Saudi%20Arabia%3A%20Ministry%20steps%20up%20food%20checks%20ahead%20of%20Ramadan%20

2010-07-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Arabs mull $65bn food security plan
Posted by Zawya
Emirates Business 24-7, 28 July 2010

Arab nations are considering launching an ambitious strategy involving investment of nearly $65 billion (Dh238.7bn) in the next 20 years to expand their farming sector and ensure food for their fast-growing population.

The Khartoum-based Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD) an affiliate of the 21-nation Arab League, has completed the Emergency Programme for Arab Food Security, which it said has been prompted by the deteriorating farm shortage in the region and soaring food prices.

The strategy includes three phases, the first of which is a five-year plan during 2010-2015.

The second stage will cover the 2010-2020 period and the third one stretches until 2030, when most farm products will nearly double.

Preparatory measures for the implementation of the first stage began in the first half of 2010 and it could be officially launched in 2011.

The first farming season in this five year plan is scheduled to begin in early 2012 once it is ratified.

AOAD which oversees Arab government farming policies and promotes joint agricultural projects in the region, said the first phase involves investment of about $27bn, which will rise to $51.5bn at the end of the second stage.

Total cumulative investments will reach $65.4bn in 2030.

Funding of the plan would be shared by the governments and the private sector and it will mainly cover nine large Arab nations--Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Iraq, Morocco and Yemen.

AOAD said it had chalked out the strategy in line with a decision by Arab farm ministers during their April 2008 meeting in Riyadh with the aim of facing any future global food crises, adding that it has to be endorsed by governments.

The strategy will focus on wheat, rice, barley, sugar cane, beet, sesame, and other products which are in a sharp shortage in the region, it said.

"This plan has been prompted by the recent global developments in the agricultural sector and the need to take effective measures to tackle this persistent and chronic food shortage in the Arab World," it said.

"As a result of a high population growth in the region, poor investment in the farming sector and soaring prices, the Arab food gap has steadily risen over the past years...it peaked at around $18bn last year and could surge to $71bn in 2030 without measures to tackle this problem."

The report estimated the combined Arab population at around 350 million at the end of 2009 and said they could soar by 63 per cent to 545 million in 2030.

It said investments in the emergency programme would have three main targets, including improvement of productivity, expansion of cultivated land by developing water resources, and establishment of joint farming ventures.

"The arable land is expected to be expanded by around 2.9 million hectares by 2030....the main aim is to increase wheat production by 81.3 per cent, rice by 56.5 per cent, barley by 81.2 per cent and sugar crops by 69.3 per cent. This will largely boost the rate of self sufficiency in these products and at the same time create nearly 8.7 million new jobs," AOAD said.

The report showed Arab states are currently suffering from a massive shortage in most of those products, standing at 43.9 per cent in wheat and other cereals, 74.8 per cent in cooking oil and 63.7 per cent in sugar products.

"The food security problem in the Arab world could deteriorate in the absence of real measures...many poor people in the region could become unable to get enough food and this poses serious threats to social stability," it said.

"The Arab food gap is going from bad to worse mainly because of the high population growth and relatively low growth in the farming sector."

Releasing its annual report on the farming sector in the region last month, AOAD said Arab countries have reeled under a cumulative food gap of more than $180bn over the past 10 years to emerge as the largest single farm importer despite their massive arable land potential.

Except for fish, vegetable and other minor crops, Arab nations are suffering from a persistent shortage in all types of farm products and the gap has steadily worsened over the past two decades, it said.

The report also blamed poor water resources in the region, low land utilization and investments, and what it described as defective Arab farm policies.

Nearly three years after they approved a 15-year common farm strategy in 2005, the Arab countries have become more reliant on farm imports as such a strategy remains inefficient in the absence of right policies and sufficient funds, it said.

What complicates the problem is that most wealthy Arab nations are still reluctant to invest heavily in farming projects in fertile member states for political and security reasons while only around 12 per cent of the total available arable land in the region is exploited, according to AOAD.

"There are several obstacles and challenges facing the development of the Arab farming sector...they include low investments, defective government policies, poor water resources, inefficient use of available land and water resources, and the low level of utilisation of available cultivated areas," it said.

"The biggest obstacle has been and will remain the relatively small water resources available in the region. This obstacle has blocked investment in the farming sector and will hinder any programme aimed at exploiting those areas."

The report showed the emergency plan would target wheat production of 3,409 tonnes in 2015, around 12,314 tonnes in 2020 and nearly 20,483 tonnes in 2030.

Barley output will reach 476 tonnes in 2015, about 1,689 tonnes in 2020 and nearly 3,201 tonnes in 2030.

Production of rice will rise to 1,182 tonnes, to 3,850 tonnes and 6,292 tonnes in the same period.

Total cereal production is targeted at around 5,067 tonnes in 2015, nearly 17,853 tonnes in 2020 and around 29,976 tonnes in 2030.

By Nadim Kawach

© Emirates Business 24/7 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100728054552/Arabs%20mull%20%2465bn%20food%20security%20plan

2010-07-28T06:51:00.002-07:00

7 Arab countries take part in Baha honey festival
Posted by Zawya
Arab News
28 July 2010

JEDDAH: Bee farmers from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Kuwait, Algeria and Saudi Arabia are taking part in an international honey festival that opened in the southern tourist resort of Baha on Monday.

Prince Faisal bin Muhammad, deputy governor of Baha, opened the eight-day festival in Baljurashi and toured the 60 exhibitors' pavilions displaying various types of honey and its products.

Baljurashi Gov. Muhammad Dada noted the Baha governorate's support for bee farmers in the region. The governorate backed the formation of the first association of bee farmers in the Kingdom three years ago.

"The honey festival in Baha has become one of the main tourist attractions in the region," Dada said. He hoped that the annual festival would attract bee farmers from more countries in coming years.

Ahmed Al-Khazim, chairman of the organizing committee, said the festival is organized by the Association of Bee Farmers in cooperation with Abdullah Bugshan Honey Research Chair at King Saud University and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).

"The festival will help honey farmers market their products, promote trade exchanges, understand the requirements of the honey business, exchange expertise in the field and enlighten the public on the importance of using honey," Al-Khazim said.

He emphasized the tremendous progress achieved by the Kingdom's honey industry during the past few years.

Saudi Arabia produces 8,000 tons of honey annually and imports 10,000 tons to meet the growing demand.

By P.K Abdul Ghafour

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100728042849/7%20Arab%20countries%20take%20part%20in%20Baha%20honey%20festival

2010-07-28T06:51:00.001-07:00

UAE denies entry of contagious goat shipments
Posted by Zawya
WAM (Emirates News Agency)

Dubai, 27th July 2010 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Environment and WaterMinistry of Environment and WaterLoading... has denied entry into the country of four shipments of 490 sheep goats found to be infected with contagious diseases. The shipments were returned back to the country of origin.
In a press release today, the ministry said the move is in line with efforts to protect public health and the country's animal wealth from epidemic diseases. It said that laboratory tests showed that the animals were infected with plague of small ruminants and foot and mouth disease.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100728072026571/UAE%20denies%20entry%20of%20contagious%20goat%20shipments

2010-07-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Vegetables 2nd largest export of Jordan
Posted by Zawya
Jordan News Agency - Petra
28 July 2010

Amman - The Kingdom''s exports of vegetables ranked second after garments to be followed by potash and phosphate.

A statement by the Ministry of Agriculture, attributed the rise to the export of around 425,000 tonnes of vegetables compared to 338,000 tonnes during the first five months of 2009.

The rise in the volume of exports came due to joint efforts of the public and private sectors to overcome obstacles to reach foreign markets, the statement added.

Official figures by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ), showed that revenues from exports of vegetables during the first five months of 2010 rose by 23 percent standing at JD 173 million compared to the same period of 2009.

© Jordan News Agency - Petra 2010

News Link:

2010-07-27T03:29:00.001-07:00

Saudi food imports set to grow after 2009 peak
Posted by Zawya
Emirates Business 24-7, 27 July 2010

Saudi Arabia's food imports bill climbed to an all-time high of more than SR65 billion in 2009 and the value is expected to surge in the next years because of high population growth and a decision to halt local wheat production.

Figures released ahead of the annual Saudi Farming Exhibition due to be held in October showed farm imports accounted for nearly 15 per cent of the kingdom's total imports, the fourth largest component of imports.

The figures showed the farming and food sector in Saudi Arabia, which constitutes more than a fifth of the total Arab economy, has swelled by nearly 18.5 per cent annually over the past decade mainly because of relatively rapid population growth and a steady increase in visitors to the country.

"Last year, the value of food imports by Saudi Arabia peaked at SR65.25bn as a result of a steady population growth, which is estimated at three per cent, as well as economic growth and high per capita income," said Khaled Daou, Director of the Exhibition, which will be held in Riyadh from October 4 to 7.

"We expect a further increase in demand for food in the coming five years because this growth and the increase in the number of visitors, which exceeded 10 million last year. Another factor is the expected rise in the number of foreign workers needed for the growing number of projects."

Quoted by Saudi newspapers, Daou said there are forecasts Saudi Arabia's population would grow by nearly 15.4 per cent in the next five years.

"This means that we will see an increase in the food import value and an intensified drive to achieve food security in the kingdom," he said.

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Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab food importer given its rapid population growth and poor arable land as it is mostly a desert. Last year, the kingdom's farm imports accounted for nearly 45 per cent of the total Arab food imports of about $39bn (Dh143bn), according to the Arab League.

Jolted by a surge in global food prices in 2007 and 2008, Saudi Arabia has turned abroad to ease reliance on farm imports by investing in agricultural projects in Sudan and other fertile countries.

But analysts believe such projects would not have a strong downward impact on imports as they will be offset by Riyadh's decision to halt local wheat production and rely on foreign imports to preserve its dwindling water wealth.

"There is no doubt this decision will only aggravate the kingdom's food import bill as the plan is to rely totally on imported wheat," a Riyadh-based economist said.

Saudi Arabia, which sits atop more than a fifth of the world's proven oil wealth, had produced nearly three million tonnes of wheat per year to meet domestic needs, but output is expected to plunge to one million tonnes this year following the government's decision to stop subsidising local production.

In the next two years, output could dip further and the country will become almost totally reliant on imports, mainly from the West.

"The decision we took two years ago to halt local wheat output is final and clear... there is no going back," Saudi Minister of Agriculture, Fahd Balghaneem, said in recent local press comments. "The country is now giving priority to water security over food security. This was a cabinet decision, which also directed us to stop producing wheat locally."

Balghaneem said Saudi Arabia, one of the poorest nations in water resources, imported in excess of one million tonnes of wheat last year and imports are projected to surge this year as local output is steadily declining.

"The decline is faster than the 12.5 per cent we had set annually. Farmers appear to realise that wheat cultivation is no longer feasible after the state decided to stop subsidies. Many of them have quit their farms and this means local production could drop to only one million tonnes this year."

With a population of more than 26 million at the end of last year, Saudi Arabia has announced that it would begin importing wheat at the start of 2009 and gradually eliminate a 25-year grain programme that has allowed it to be self-sufficient but drained its scarce desert water wealth.

Poor ground water resources have forced Saudi Arabia to rely on sea desalination facilities, for which it has invested hundreds of billions of dollars. The country is now the world's largest producer of desalinated water, which meets 70 per cent of its present drinking water needs.

The kingdom's 30 desalination plants pump more than 600 million gallons of water daily (over one billion cubic metres a year) through nearly 2,000 miles of pipeline. More than 50 cities and distribution centres in Saudi Arabia receive their water from these plants.

Per capita water consumption in Saudi Arabia is among the highest in the world. Water is heavily subsidised and while one cubic metre of water costs about $1.08 to produce, it is sold for only about three cents.

By Nadim Kawach

© Emirates Business 24/7 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100727054105/Saudi%20food%20imports%20set%20to%20grow%20after%202009%20peak

2010-07-27T03:28:00.001-07:00

Research panel to study Mideast climate change
Posted by Zawya
Khaleej Times
27 July 2010

DUBAI - An Indian research foundation has announced the launch of a dedicated programme to study the impact of climate change in the Middle East and the health problems it poses.

Scientists at the Shantigiri Research Foundation of Kerala have initiated the study on the environmental
and health issues faced by the
region, which is home to millions of expatriate workers.

To create an awareness about the programme among the public, especially the large expatriate community, the foundation is holding a seminar on 'Middle East Climate Change
and Health Research Programmes' in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram on September 10, organisers said
in Dubai.

The one-day panel discussion, involving renowned climate researchers and medical experts from the Middle East, is part of a three-day international conference on 'Global Warming, Climate Change and Sustainable Development' running from September 9 to12.

An estimated 100,000 people from all over the world are expected to participate. During the conference, the President of India, Pratibha Patel, will dedicate a lotus-shaped prayer house, organisers said.

"There has been little awareness about the significance of water conservation and the threat of environmental pollution in the Middle East," said Swami Gurumithran Jnana Thapaswi, Senior Member of the General Council of Shantigiri Research Foundation, a division of Shantigiri Ashram.

"The seminar seeks to bring to focus the need for conservation of water and the rationalisation of the use of this vital life force and issues related to water and climatic conditions," he added.

"Global warming is considered to be the major threat for peace in the ongoing millennium. Wars in future are
predicted to be in the name of water and natural resources. So it is the
responsibility of any individual to resist global warming by any means," said Swami Gurumithran, who was in Dubai on a brief visit.

Noted film director and actor Madhupal, who is coordinating the seminars, said climate change and environment issues are very critical for the Middle East, which is home to people from more than 180 countries. "The aim of the seminar is to create awareness about the environmental concerns of this region."

Ajith Pillai, GCC Convenor of the Research Foundation, said Shantigiri's Dubai clinic had already embarked on a research on skin and other ailments related to climate change.

"We expect the research results will be out by the end of this year. We will do the follow-up treatment for these patients at Shantigiri," he added.

By Issac John

© Khaleej Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100727042701/Research%20panel%20to%20study%20Mideast%20climate%20change%20

2010-07-27T03:27:00.001-07:00

Yemen: Modern techniques applied to agricultural production
Posted by Zawya
Yemen Observer
27 July 2010

The Undersecretary of Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry for Agricultural Production Development Sector Abdul Malik al-Thawr stressed on Tuesday the need to avail from studies and scientific research to raise the level of agricultural production through using modern techniques.

"The development of researches and agricultural guidance is among the priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture", said al-Thawr indicating that these researches would provide all institutions with the accurate scientific vision to be able to achieve the goal of agricultural development.

In a meeting with the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD)'s delegation currently visiting Yemen headed by Head of the Center Rafiq Ali Saleh, al-Thawr noted the importance of developing the agricultural sector to enhance its role in ensuring food security.

He reviewed agricultural activities and the role of the General Authority for Researches and Agricultural Guidance in promoting the agricultural development through the modern techniques.

In the meeting, the two sides affirmed the significance of strengthening the current cooperation between Yemen and the Center and the possibility of availing from the Center's experiences in the field of techniques and advanced researches to serve the agricultural development, as well as the role of the Center in training the agricultural sector's cadres in Yemen.

They dealt with the procedures relating to the preparation of studies by the ACSAD on planting palm trees in the provinces of Hadramout and Mahrah, which will be funded under the grant provided by the Islamic Development Bank.

By Observer Staff

© Yemen Observer 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100727073300/Yemen%3A%20Modern%20techniques%20applied%20to%20agricultural%20production

2010-07-26T07:06:00.002-07:00

Increased sea temperatures behind May fish kills in Gulf of Aden, say scientists
Posted by Zawya
Yemen Times
25 July 2010

SANA'A -- In a recent report on fish kills along the coast of the Gulf of Aden in May 2010, scientists concluded that the death of the fish was due to an increase in water temperature.

Some types of fish die when the water is too hot, reported Professors Mohammed Abubakr, Mohammed Al-Saafani and Hisham Nagi of the department of earth and environment at the University of Sana'a.

"The investigation showed strong evidence of [a] sudden increase [in] sea water temperature, which lowered the amount of dissolved oxygen in sea water and increased fish metabolism," they wrote. "This eventually [lead] to the death of the [blue triggerfish] which cannot tolerate such sudden increase[s] in temperature. Other possible factors [such as] depletion of oxygen due to algal growth, could have also contributed, to some extent to the stress on [fish]."

The study indicated that this happens naturally in the Gulf of Aden during the transition period between winter and summer. The same warming of the water has been reported in the past for different natural reasons, and most probably, it could happen again during the forthcoming southeast monsoon, depending on the strength of the wind and upwellings of seawater.

Yemen Liquid Natural Gas (YLNG) reported the fish kill in May 2010 in Balhaf on the coast in Shabwa governorate, where they have a plant to liquefy Yemeni natural gas prior to its export by sea.

On May 26, the team from Sana'a University travelled to the reported sites to investigate. The study was made upon the request of the company to investigate the possible causes of the incidence.

Besides visiting the YLNG plant, the scientists' field visit covered more than 150 km of the coastline, from Ain Ba Maba'ad west of Balhaf to the city of Mukalla in the east.

During their field visit, the scientists interviewed fishermen and studied site findings to examine all possible causes of such occurrences in the area. They also used meteorological data provided by satellite images for the northern Arabian Sea at the time of the fish kills.

Field observations and interviews with fishermen and local communities confirmed the death of fish along the 150 km of coastline between Al-Mukalla and Balhaf, and it turned out that the blue triggerfish was the most affected species, comprising over 95 percent of the dead fish.

According to locals, the fish kill incident started on the 8th and 9th of May 2010 and lasted for a few days. Fishermen have described this kind of fish kill as a naturally occurring phenomenon which happens regularly, according to the study.

However, the scientist couldn't find samples of dead fish to collect because most of dead fish had already been washed out to sea. It was also too late to measure other environmental parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, toxic materials, and trace metals, so they used data from the YLNG weekly monitoring reports for Balhaf in their study.

"By examining the common causes of death, dissolved oxygen jumps out as the most probable reason for fish mortality. The ability to tolerate low dissolved oxygen levels depends on the species and their size," scientists wrote.

The study pointed out that there were unconfirmed reports of fish kills, mainly of blue triggerfish, in the Arabian Sea in November 2007.

According to the Yemeni study, a similar event was reported from the island of Reunion in the Maldives in 2002 and 2001, where groups of triggerfish were found dead. The results from this event reported the presence of a species of bacteria known to be associated with fish deaths in the spleens of the dead fish.

By Khaled Al-Hilaly

© Yemen Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100725112118/Increased%20sea%20temperatures%20behind%20May%20fish%20kills%20in%20Gulf%20of%20Aden%2C%20say%20scientists

2010-07-26T07:06:00.001-07:00

Oman: Soaring wheat prices may make flour, bread dearer
Posted by Zawya
Times of Oman
26 July 2010

MUSCAT: The soaring wheat prices in the international markets since the beginning of the month is likely to jack up prices of wheat flour, besides bringing down margins of flour mills, if it continues for some more months.

"Wheat prices soared by 20 to 25 per cent to touch $280-290 per tonne this month alone," said a senior official of a leading flour mill.

Although it is too early to predict the future trend in prices, industry sources indicated that the local flour producers will be left with no other option but to pass on the additional burden to the consumers, if it continues for some more months. "However, it is too early to comment on it. We have to wait and watch the trend in prices."

Oman has two flour mills -- majority state-owned Oman Flour Mills and Salalah Flour Mills. In fact, wheat prices show tremendous growth at a time when the government is taking efforts to raise strategic reserves of essential food grains to maintain price stability.

As part of this initiative, the government is building a 200,000-tonne capacity silo facility at Sohar Port and enhancing the storage facility at Salalah from 40,000 tonnes to 140,000 tonnes. This will help Oman maintain a strategic reserve of food grains for nine months as against three months now.

Crop failure
The recent spurt in wheat price was mainly due to a crop failure in Russia and few other major producing countries. "Russia declared that the actual wheat production will be much lower than the earlier estimate," said a market analyst. Lack of rain in Russia, Kazakhstan and the European Union and floods in Canada have damaged crops, boosting wheat futures across the globe since June.

Omani companies import different grades of wheat from Australia, Europe and Iran.

Market analysts said that the growing trend in wheat price is a problem for flour mills across the Gulf region, as the industry is vulnerable to fluctuations in international prices.

According to a leading brokerage firm, a UAE-based flour producer's gross margin fell from 23.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2009 to 20.2 per cent for the same period of this year, mainly due to soaring grain cost. When wheat touched a record high in 2008, government supported local companies by paying subsidies on flour.

As a result, there was a positive impact in curbing the severity of soaring flour prices as well as on the cost of bread.

However, the prices started coming down thereafter and flour producers started bringing down selling price of flour products.

© Times of Oman 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100726045347/Oman%3A%20Soaring%20wheat%20prices%20may%20make%20flour%2C%20bread%20dearer

2010-07-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

Egypt to increase supply of goods during Ramadan
Posted by Zawya
Daily News Egypt
25 July 2010

State agencies are to increase supply of meat, poultry fish, oils, rice and beans in order to keep prices low during Ramadan, reported Al-Ahram newspaper.

Other measures are being taken in order to relieve inflationary pressure including setting up outlets which provide goods at prices 20 percent lower than their market price, Beltone Finacial said in its daily market report.

The government will also increase the quota of butane by 25 percent, and increase the quotas of subsidized flour to bakeries.

"Increased seasonal prices are expected during the month of Ramadan with increased demand. We expect inflation to average between 10 percent and 12 percent for the remainder of the year," said Beltone.

© Daily News Egypt 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100726082424/Egypt%20to%20increase%20supply%20of%20goods%20during%20Ramadan

2010-07-25T09:10:00.001-07:00

Bahrain: BD500,000 fund to aid farmers
Posted by Zawya
Bahrain Tribune
24 July 2010

The Ministry of Municipalities and Agriculture has allocated an annual budget of half a million dinars to help distressed farmers in the Kingdom.

This was revealed by assistant undersecretary for agricultural affairs at the Ministry of Municipalities, Dr. Salman Abdul Nabi Al Khuzaii.

The ministry will support farmers with new machines and pesticides to improve the quality and quantity of crops. "We want all farmers to adopt the latest approach and hi-tech technologies widely prevalent in other parts of the world. We are sure this will increase their agricultural produce and in turn make their lives better," Al Khuzaii said. The farmer-support-fund is part of the national strategy to ensure food security.

The ministry is also conducting training sessions for farmers on preparing and tilling the soil, in addition to imparting lessons on protecting plants from animal and pest attack.

Dr Al Khuzaii pointed out that the ministry has been taking a keen interest on the Red Palm Weevil project by providing all services to farmers in controlling this pest. The government is planning to take steps to guard plants from red palm weevil.

"Earlier, at least 50,000 palms in the Kingdom were affected by the weevil attack, but now thanks to our efforts, the affected plants have come down to 20,000," he said.

By Staff Reporter

© Bahrain Tribune 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100724060226/Bahrain

2010-07-25T09:09:00.001-07:00

Dhamar farmers revive coffee plantations after years of abandonment
Posted by Zawya
Yemen Times
25 July 2010

DHAMAR -- After persuasion from the local council, many farmers in Dhamar governorate have agreed to remove qat and corn from their farms and grow coffee trees instead.

The local authorities convinced the farmers by facilitating the coffee marketing process and ensuring that the coffee would be sold at an attractive price. This was a successful policy because farmers in Dhamar had abandoned coffee farming across the past year when the price went down dramatically. The governorate has now insured a 300 percent increase in coffee prices, making one kilo of dry coffee cherries worth eight dollars.

"There has been an increasing demand on coffee seedlings in recent years as many farmers are now expanding their coffee plantations. This happened as coffee prices increased, and now I am providing seedlings to many farmers from all over the governorate, especially places that were famous for coffee in the past," said Mohammed Al-Dhabobi, a coffee seedling nursery owner in the Al-Nobitain area of Dhamar.

One of the coffee farmers, Mohammed Ali Hifthallah, from Otma district in Dhamar, said that he started with 200 seedlings three years ago. The state-run rural development project gave him 30 sacks of cement to help fix the ground water tank he uses to water the coffee trees.

"I am expecting to see a harvest next year. My area used to produce a lot of coffee in the past, but many farmers were negatively affected by soil erosion and highways that cut into their land, so they stopped growing coffee. Now there is a trend to go back to coffee plantations with encouragement from the state," said Hidhallah.

The state has created several initiatives across the country to replace qat with coffee. One of these projects is based in Dhamar. Agriculture engineer Kamal Shamsan, the project's coordinator, said that local authorities representing the agriculture office and the rural development project endorse coffee farming and distribute coffee seedlings to the farmers along with tools, and they also create awareness activities to help farmers optimally benefit from their land. The state also supports farmers in infrastructure projects, such as water tanks for their lands.

"Dhamar governorate has a good climate that is suitable for growing coffee, and these areas used to be famous for their coffee trees, to the extent that farmers would even market their produce in other governorates," said Shamsan.

He added that the locals are now growing plants that produce a specific round type of coffee bean. This variety stores well for long periods of time, resists pests, and is popular because of its quality and flavor.

Through this initiative, three associations were created and supported with tools and equipment, allowing them to help in marketing coffee by acting as mediators between the farmers and the traders.

These associations are already selling coffee to large corporations such as Al-Ezi and Al-Kabous.

Executive director of the rural development project in Dhamar, Engineer Abdulkarim Abdullah Al-Eryani, said that the project distributed more than 71,730 hundred seedlings to 648 farmers between 2006 and 2010.

The project also helped to establish or repair 296 water tanks to collect rainwater for irrigating coffee trees. They provided the farmers with more than seven thousand cement sacs, agricultural equipment, and training on how to use them.

"We are aiming to encourage coffee farming and to get farmers interested in diversifying their agricultural production in order to enhance their living standards. This also means that they need to change their habits and lifestyles, and we are helping them do this through training and raising awareness," said Al-Eryani.

© Yemen Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100725112003/Dhamar%20farmers%20revive%20coffee%20plantations%20after%20years%20of%20abandonment

2010-07-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

Egypt announces 110th discovered bird flu case
Posted by Zawya
KUNA (Kuwait News Agency)
24 July 2010

CAIRO -- Egypt on Saturday announced the 110th discovered bird flu case in the country, saying the patient's condition is "critical".

"The 20-year-old female was transferred to Sadr al-Abbasiya Hospital in Cairo, as she was suffering from high temperature and breathing difficulties," Health Ministry Spokesman Dr. Abdulrahman Shahin told reporters.

The patient has been medicated with Tamiflu and is still under supervision, he noted.

Egypt had taken preventive measures to contain the pandemic since its outbreak in 2006, including restraints on mobilizing live birds between provinces, as well as banning the slaughtering of birds outside allocated locations among other precautions.

© KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100725064041/Egypt%20announces%20110th%20discovered%20bird%20flu%20case%20

2010-07-22T04:03:00.001-07:00

Eastern Province heat wave reduces fish catch
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
21 July 2010

QATIF - With the catch of fish in the Arabian Gulf already declining, the current heat wave has further limited the marine harvest because local fishermen here are unwilling to venture far out on the open sea due to the high temperatures.

The Qatif Fish Resources Research Center, which oversees the fishing sector in the Eastern Province and monitors the fish catch particularly during summer season, anticipates that because of the heat wave the fish harvest this summer will be lower than at the same time last year.

"The catch will be lower this year because many local traditional fishermen are not going out to fish," an official of the center said.

"The situation, however, is not so serious that it will cause a shortage of fish in the market," he added.

He said commercial fishing companies have remained active in the Arabian Gulf despite the heat wave.

"It is the small fishermen who are more affected, thereby creating a shortage in local fish markets and causing a slight increase in prices," he said.

The center is now preparing for the six-month shrimping season, which starts in August. This is the time of year when the government lifts the ban allowing local fishermen to harvest shrimps in designated areas in the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea.

Catching shrimps is prohibited for half of the year, starting in February, to give juvenile shrimps time to mature.

The peak shrimp harvest is usually during the month of September onwards when the jumbo variety is available.

During the shrimp season, prices are usually reduced from more than SR30 per kilo to about SR20 per kilo.

The Kingdom harvests about 3,000 metric tons of shrimps during the shrimping season.

The Ministry of Agriculture estimates the Kingdom's annual marine fish production to be 49,000 metric tons with 9,000 metric tons of crustaceans, including the 3,000 metric tons of shrimps.

These figures exclude aquaculture production.

By Joe Avancena

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100721045616/Saudi%27s%20Eastern%20Province%20heat%20wave%20reduces%20fish%20catch

2010-07-22T04:02:00.002-07:00

UAE: Panel begins inspection of farms
Posted by Zawya
Khaleej Times
21 July 2010

ABU DHABI -- After the winners of 'dabas', the first dates category competition, were announced at the Liwa Date Festival on Sunday, the judging committee began inspecting the farms of participants in 'alkhneizi' category.

Farms are inspected as part of the strict terms and conditions of the competition to make sure no chemicals are used in date production.

On Tuesday, 74 farms were inspected before the 15 winners could be announced.

"The strict rules and the high accuracy followed by the judging committee made some participants to withdraw from the competition," said Obeid Al Mazrouei, director of the festival.

"The overwhelming number of visitors to the festival is an evidence for the great success of the event. Despite the hot weather and rising temperature, people are still coming to the middle of the desert to witness the lovely authentic Emirati heritage. This is evidence that the festival has become an important tourist event," he added.

The youth have also revealed outstanding creative talents to develop the production of dates, according to Al Mazrouei.

Date pickles with different flavours are on display at the market along with new productions related to dates such as special kidney tea, coffee, eye-liner and essence -- all made from date seeds mixed with other natural ingredients.

The festival also hosted culture and heritage lectures arranged by the Culture, Youth and Social Development Centre of the Western Region at the folkloric performances tent.

© Khaleej Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100721041823/UAE%3A%20Panel%20begins%20inspection%20of%20farms%20

2010-07-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Qatar seeks GCC standards for edible oil
Posted by Zawya
The Peninsula
21 July 2010

DOHA: The GCC Standards Organisation is busy developing standards and specifications for dates, honey and several other food items of mass use which are either produced locally or imported.

GCC states are among the key producers of dates.

Qatar, on its part, has proposed to the GCC Standards Committee development of standards and specifications for edible oil, most of which is imported, a local Arabic daily reported yesterday.

The regional standards organisation has so far developed standards for more than 6,000 items and they mainly include foodstuff, building materials, agricultural products, electronic goods and electrical appliances.

Quoting the Director of the Department of Labs and Metrology at Qatar's Ministry of Environment, Dr Mohamed Saif Al Kuwari, the daily said a GCC-wide directory of companies which have acquired international quality certification for their products and services is being published.

The directory is expected to be ready by the year-end and its main objective is to encourage other companies based in the region to seek global certification for quality.

The Qatar labs and metrology department will promote the directory locally, Al Kuwari added, stressing that the regional standards organisation was also busy upgrading standards for some commodities and services.

© The Peninsula 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100721055933/Qatar%20seeks%20GCC%20standards%20for%20edible%20oil

2010-07-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Ministry of Environment and Water culls 200 infectious sheep
WAM (Emirates News Agency)

Dubai ,19th July 2010 (WAM) -- Ministry of Environment and Water has culled a shipment of 200 sheep and goats seized in an smuggling attempt through one of the country's exits. The legal procedures were taken and the animals were confiscated as for violating import regulations followed in the country as per the ministerial resolution number /548/ of 2008 and the federal law number 6 of 1979 on veterinary quarantine.

The ministry said that the shipment had also breached the animal welfare law number 16 of 2006 regarding conditions of transportation of livestock. Laboratory tests have also shown that the animals were found infected with plague of small ruminants, food and mouth disease and blue tongue, a group of epidemic contagious ills infecting both man and animal.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100720044027407/Ministry%20of%20Environment

2010-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

KLTT to import 216,000 head of sheep for Ramadan
Posted by Zawya
KUNA (Kuwait News Agency)
19 July 2010

KUWAIT -- Livestock Transport and Trading Company (KLTT) a Kuwaiti public shareholding company, announced on Monday it would import up to 216,000 head of sheep in the run up to the Holy Month of Ramadan, (Arabic lunar month to start around August 11, 2010) The move aims to meet the demand on meat which is expected to rise in the holy month, KLTT Chairman and Managing Director Bader Al-Jarallah told KUNA.

"The company shoulders a responsibility for ensuring food security in the country," he said. "Some 55,000 head of sheep are expected to arrive in Kuwait in two shipments in July in addition to 100,000 August and 61,000 in September," Al-Jarallah revealed. "The global market suffers from the shortage of livestock and steadily rising prices due to the growing demand. This costs KLTT a lot of losses in honoring its 37-year long national commitment. "Nevertheless, the company will continue supplying the nationals and residents in Kuwait with meat through the butcher's and home delivery services nationwide," he pointed out.

Al-Jarallah added that the company has finalized the preparations for importing the high-quality sheep from Georgia by air for the first time in Kuwait.

© KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100720071106/KLTT%20to%20import%20216%2C000%20head%20of%20sheep%20for%20Ramadan%20

2010-07-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

SFDA bans ‘Stable Sugar’
Posted by Saudi Gazette
By Abdullah Al-Maqati
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 - 08 Shaban 1431 H

DHULUM – The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has warned against a herbal product sold online and ordered that it be withdrawn from the shelves if it is available in the market.

The SFDA said that an Internet site selling “Stable Sugar” produced by the US Natural Medicine International Company was falsely claiming the product could completely cure diabetes. The product, it said, contained unidentified substances.

“There are no studies proving the veracity of the claims,” an SFDA statement said. “They aim to make a profit through the medication, which is expensive, and there is no proof that the product is effective.”

The SFDA reiterated that the purchase of medication online was illegal. It added that it would penalize anyone found trading in such products, and renewed calls for the public and health specialists to report side effects from any medications. – Okaz/SG

News Link: http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010072078591

2010-07-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

UAE: Firm denies reducing prices of dates
Posted by Zawya
Khaleej Times
20 July 2010

ABU DHABI - There seem to be fewer companies present at the Liwa Date Festival this year, but one that could never give it a miss is Al Foah, the largest dates buyer in the UAE.

"At the six receiving centres we have across the emirates, we buy 75,000 tonnes of dates every year, all from UAE producers," said Mohammed Ghanim, director of external relations at Al Foah.

As for sales, from this year it has been expanded to 28 countries, including Eastern Europe, as well as parts of America, Australia, Asia and Western Europe.

Farmers across Abu Dhabi emirate have complained, though, that in the past few years, Al Foah has reduced the buying prices and some of them now prefer to use the dates as animal feed than to sell it at the low prices.

"That is not actually true. We do have a few large farms selling to us, from Dh1,000 before to Dh100 now, but we concentrate more on the small and medium farms," said Ghanim.

All in all, Al Foah is working with 16,000 small, medium, above medium and large farms. The large category means over 15 tonnes of dates.

During the festival, no dates will be bought, as the company only purchases "tamar" dates, the fully ripe ones, rather than the half-ripe "ratab".

"The 'tamer' will not be ready until later next month and that is when we will start receiving them at our centres," added Ghanim.

The business of heritage

The Liwa Date Festival has a much stronger emphasis on local customs and traditions this year, with competitions planed for folkloric groups and handicrafts.

In one of the three wings of the specially designed tent, the souq has been set up and this summer no less than 159 outlets are selling a variety of handicrafts.

The festival's renowned hospitality has added even more colour through the demonstration of women's handicrafts at the 12 guest corners or "majlis" - the hospitality tent. The best products, based on quality and authenticity, will be rewarded later in the festival.

To encourage both men and women to learn and preserve Emirati handicrafts, Al Sawghah, part of the Khalifa Fund for Developing Small and Medium Enterprises, is also present in the festival.

Supervisor Laila Bin Al Qasim explained that the initiative aims at invigorating the Emirati heritage and making it a way of living for the local communities.

"This is why we looked for men and women with handcraft skills and enrolled them at training workshops to develop their skills further and give them the necessary information about production and marketing," she said.

"The financial returns generated through the initiative's participation in the festival doubles our benefit through the social integration of women and the exposure of their productive and creative skills that must be further encouraged."

Another big, traditional attraction in the festival is the "ayalla" (gun) folkloric show. Among the dozens of participating groups are the Al Ain Youth. Established in 2005, the group has 50 musicians and singers, specialising not just in "ayalla", but other Bedouin-inspired performances, such as "alyulah" or "alharbeyah".

"Ayalla symbolises a war between two tribes, with attacks and retreats and duels at fast tempo, culminating with the peace that prevails among the fighting parties," said Mosbeh Khalfan, the group's supervisor.

By Silvia Radan

© Khaleej Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100720041437/UAE%3A%20Firm%20denies%20reducing%20prices%20of%20dates

2010-07-19T05:19:00.001-07:00

Saudi Arabia: Food security is top priority,says official
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
19 July 2010

RIYADH - Food security has become top priority for Saudi Arabia, as the country is looking at a population increase of 15.4 percent during the next five-year period.

The increasing rate of population, rising personal income and sustained national economic growth helped Saudi Arabia import over SR65 billion worth of food and agricultural products in 2009 alone, according to a high-ranking official of Riyadh Exhibition Company (REC).

Saudi Arabia's food sector, the largest in the Gulf, continues to expand annually at a steady rate of 18.5 percent.

"Saudi Arabia is looking at a population increase of around 15.4 percent within the next five-year period and food security is thus among the top priorities under its long-term development agenda," said Khalid Daou, Project Manager of REC's Saudi Agriculture Division.

He said Saudi Agro-Food 2010 - the 17th International Trade Show for Food Products will be organized from Oct. 4 to 7, 2010 at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Daou said Saudi Agro-Food 2010 will serve as a vital platform for Saudi leaders and policy-makers to meet and discuss solutions with the industry's food and agriculture figures and look for partnerships deals that can help satisfy food demand.

The event will attract regional and international exhibitors and manufacturers to explore opportunities offered by the Gulf's largest agricultural importer.

The exhibition offers valuable perspectives on how to pursue local agricultural and food prospects, he said.

By Shahid Ali Khan

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100719052637/Food%20security

2010-07-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

Jordan: 'Food prices to be stable in Ramadan'
Posted by Zawya
Jordan Times
19 July 2010

AMMAN - The Ministry of Industry and Trade will issue a consumer guide on Tuesday detailing the prices of food commodities to raise awareness on correct prices ahead of Ramadan. Ministry Secretary General Maha Ali said officials have followed up on the availability of basic food items with importers and restaurant owners who stressed that prices will be stable during the holy month.

In a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times yesterday, she added that the ministry will boost market inspections in?Ramadan to ensure that food items remain affordable.

© Jordan Times 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100719044117/%27Food%20prices%20in%20Jordan%20to%20be%20stable%20in%20Ramadan%27

2010-07-18T05:06:00.001-07:00

Kuwait dairies get subsidy
KUNA (Kuwait News Agency)
17 July 2010

KUWAIT -- Kuwaiti dairies are poised to obtain the so-called "fresh milk subsidy" for the FY 2009-2010 soon, an official said here Saturday.

Subsidy distribution is to be made according to the allowed absorptive capacity of farms for the first quarter of 2010, Kuwait Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) Deputy Director General for Financial and Administrative Affairs Hanadi Bastami said in a release.

Subsidy sums are to be transferred to dairy owners' bank accounts within a couple of days' time, the PAAAFR official, he said, adding that 40 farms are to be given the subsidy.

© KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100718061122/Kuwait%20dairies%20get%20subsidy

2010-07-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

Saudi investors to explore opportunities in Malaysia
Posted by Zawya
The Saudi Gazette
17 July 2010

KUALA LUMPUR - Saudi businessmen should explore investment opportunities in the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) especially in the petrochemical, agriculture and tourism industries, Bernama news agency reported on Friday.

"I am very happy to note that there are many business opportunities in ECER Malaysia that Saudi investors can participate in," said Prince Abdulaziz Faisal Al-Saud, who is part of a delegation from Saudi Arabia which is on a five-day business visit to Malaysia beginning July 12.

A statement from East Coast Economic Region said the delegation would identify key projects within the ECER that can be pursued by Saudi investors.

The Prince and delegation members were briefed on potential investment opportunities in the Kertih Polymer Park, Palm Oil Industrial Cluster, Gambang Halal Park, livestock agriculture projects and the development of Cherating, Pantai Sepat and Teluk Bidara. The visit is reciprocal to the visit made by the ECER Development Council (ECERDC) investment delegation in May, led by the National Corridor Development Adviser, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Meanwhile, ECERDC Chief Executive Officer Datuk Jebasingam Issace John was quoted as saying in the statement that firm investment commitments are expected to be made by several investors from Saudi Arabia by year-end. "We are confident their interest to invest in ECER will be realized soon, based on ongoing discussions with potential investors, and the call made by Prince Abdul Aziz," he said.

© The Saudi Gazette 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100717045355/Saudi%20investors%20to%20explore

2010-07-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

Animal rights activists banned from protest at Dubai zoo
Posted by Zawya
AFP

DUBAI, Jul 15, 2010 (AFP) - Dubai police banned two demonstrators from animal rights group PETA from starting a protest branding zoos as "animal prisons" on Thursday, saying they were not authorised.

Dressed in prison suits and sporting monkey masks, the two activists of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals marched down the road next to Dubai Zoo carrying banners reading "Zoos: Cruel Animal Prisons."

"We want to talk about what's going on inside the zoo," senior PETA campaigner, Ashley Fruno said, addressing an adamant policeman.

"The zoo has a governement taking care of it," the unrelenting officer replied, reminding the activists that demonstrations in Dubai are not allowed "without permission."

The activists, including PETA director Jason Baker, said they had applied for a permit two weeks ago, and that the request was turned down by the municipality.

"It's very sad that we're being turned away. All we're trying to do is to spread a message of compassion and to tell people 'please if you care about animals don't go to the zoo,'" Baker told AFP.

"We're trying to convey the message that animals in the zoos are suffering and we want to educate the people of Dubai that what's happening in the zoo is unacceptable," Fruno said.

The lobby group's activists charged that animals in Dubai zoo are lacking water, food, and space to move around, saying that the 20,000 square metres (215,000 square feet) into which some 80 animals are fitted leave the creatures in deteriorating health conditions.

Fruno said those in charge of the zoo "are aware of the problems" and are aware that "there's no enrichment in their cages ... yet they're not making any changes."

The Canadian activist described the zoo as "a black eye on the face of a progressive and developed Dubai."

"We've been pushing for improvements to the animal welfare law and there has been some progress," Baker said. "The animal welfare law started around a year ago here. That was an improvement, but it's not enough as it doesn't cover most animals."

The group's next stop will be Cairo, where they are planning to promote vegetarianism.

lyn/ak/al

© Copyright AFP 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20100715T141057ZHJA36/Animal%20rights%20activists%20banned%20from%20protest%20at%20Dubai%20zoo

2010-07-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Water shortages hit southern coast and northern villages
Posted by Zawya
The Daily Star
16 July 2010

SIDON/ TRIPOLI: With authorities warning of a possible heat wave this season, some people might be in a worse situation than others, as certain regions are suffering from scarce water supplies.

In the southern coastal city of Sidon and in the northern villages of Dinnieh and Bsharri, water has been limited throughout July, not only threatening the people’s daily routines but also their livelihood.

Many reasons were attributed to the problem in Sidon, including rationing, technical problems and malfunctioning of water pumps, but the outcome is the same according to the locals: Poor people pay the price.

“We’re begging for a drop of water,” said Samah al-Gharibi on Thursday.

The lack of water has hindered the resident’s daily tasks, from cooking to showering and cleaning, and complaints have started to rise in the city.

“We’ve been talking to officials for 10 days but our complaints have fallen on deaf ears. All we get are promises,” said Dalal al-Jardali.

Some residents have taken matters into their own hands and have started getting water from the Nahr al-Awwali river. About 10 gallons of water last one day.

Others have sought help at the Sidon firefighting department, where each family receives a small share of water.

“This month is so hot and temperatures are so high, how can they cut the water supply? What country are we living in?” asked local Suha Kirke.

Nonetheless, authorities insist there are reasons behind the problem. An official from the South Lebanon Water Authority mentioned repairing damages, routine maintenance work and rationing. “The crisis will be over soon,” he added.

However, these justifications fail to ease the minds of locals. Mahmoud al-Hijazi recalled road works executed last year to place 24 hour emergency electricity cables underground and link them to water pumps.

At the same time, in North Lebanon, the villages of Dinnieh and Bsharri have been witnessing their underground water supplies dry up. The summer heat and lack of water is threatening agriculture, the main activity in the region.

Local officials met earlier this week to discuss the matter, particularly disputes that have begun to erupt between the two villages, which contain over 300 families dependent on farming incomes.

The race to obtain water has allegedly led some people to shift the course of water canals coming from Qornet al-Sawda, Lebanon’s highest summit.

Bqaasafrine-Dinnieh Mayor Munir Kanaj urged an end to these violations, saying “a final solution for these annual violations” should be found.

Kanaj then denied Dinnieh locals were responsible for stealing water or cutting off water from other regions. “This was proven to be wrong by many official reports,” he said.

© Copyright The Daily Star 2010.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidDS16072010_dsart6(4)/Lebanon%3A%20Water%20shortages%20hit%20southern%20coast%20and%20northern%20villages

2010-07-15T03:40:00.001-07:00

Importers manipulate Saudi meat market
Posted by Zawya
Arab News
15 July 2010

JEDDAH: For generations, lamb has been a traditional staple used in a multitude of dishes at wedding banquets and has become a must for Saudi dining tables for iftar and sahoor meals during the holy month of Ramadan.

According to industry sources, this has helped some businessmen cash in heftily by monopolizing the import meat market and allowing them to manipulate prices in their favor.

"Recently, with the unavoidable increase in demand for lamb and other meat due to the wedding season and upcoming Ramadan, many Saudi businessmen have visited meat exporting countries such as Syria, India, Pakistan, Sudan and Somalia to secure sole distributorship contracts with local meat suppliers," Hassan Hamoud Ali Nasser, a butcher at Al-Manal Al-Gharbia Shop who has worked in Jeddah for more than 25 years, told Arab News.

If a Saudi businessman were to go a particular country and secure a contract allowing him to act as a sole distributor of meat to the Kingdom, he would be able to set prices as desired, he explained.

In addition, he would not have any pressure to keep prices stable due to commercial competition since he is the only Saudi supplier for that country.

"These kinds of business deals have been the main cause of a 15 to 20 percent increase in prices since last month," Nasser said.

When asked if the Ministry of Commerce or Ministry of Agriculture were regulating these kinds of deals to keep prices fair, Nasser said these organizations were only there to ensure that imported livestock were healthy and making sure correct license-related procedures were being followed.

Nasser said another factor driving up prices is the ban on the import of chilled meat to Saudi Arabia, which has been in effect for the past four to five years.

"We are only receiving live animals from approved exporting countries and since live animals are more expensive than chilled meat, consumers are forced to pay higher prices," he said.

He said prices of live animals fluctuate daily in the local market, which in turn forces him to change prices at his shop to make a profit.

Nasser also said that imports from Australia have declined by up to 70 percent due to skyrocketing prices. Previously, the market used to be very popular, he added.

Mutton exports from Australia to Saudi Arabia were an estimated 21,473 tons in 2009, according to the Meat and Livestock Australia. This is only around half of 2008 levels.

Recent pricing information from Portland and Fremantle, the two Australian ports where large numbers of sheep are shipped to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, revealed prices had increased from SR375 to SR450 per animal.

Nasser said a whole Australian sheep is being sold on the Saudi market for SR800 to SR900 per animal, up from SR400 two months ago.

According to estimates from Business Monitor International (BMI), meat consumption is forecast to increase by 7.92 percent from 2011 through to 2014, exceeding BMI's prediction of a GDP growth of only 2.85 percent.

Prices of sheep at the Jeddah livestock market south of the city reflected the increase in cost.

"The current price for a local Saudi Nagdi is SR80 a kilogram or SR950 per head, Sudanese Sawakni is SR800 to SR850 per head, Somali Balbali is SR750, while Syrian Noami is SR700 to SR750 per head," said Mishari Abu Khaled, owner of an animal stall in the livestock market.

Abu Khaled also added that he expects prices to increase further in the next few days.

"I can see prices easily going up by another SR150 to SR300 per head, depending on what type of sheep is purchased and depending on where it is bought," he said.

He added that this was due to the start of the high shopping season in preparation for Ramadan.

By Sarah Abdullah

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100715040917/Importers%20manipulate%20Saudi%20meat%20market

2010-07-15T03:39:00.001-07:00

Prawn farm seeks to benefit from Aramco experience
Posted by Zawya
Arab News
15 July 2010

AL-LAITH: Senior executives of the National Prawn Company (NPC) and Saudi Aramco met in Al-Laith recently and reviewed possible areas of cooperation in environmental management.

The discussions resulted in an agreement that NPC would work together with Aramco experts and benefit from its experience in knowledge management and environmental care, especially with respect to the marine environment.

The meeting took place as a result of a presentation given to Aramco executives -- led by Ahmed Al-Saadi, vice president of Aramco's Pipeline, Distribution and Terminal Division -- who had gathered at NPC's site for a mid-year meeting to assess the performance of the division in the Western Province.

After the meeting, Ahmad bin Rasheed Al-Balaa of NPC delivered a presentation about the company, its views on the development of the prawn industry and plans for the future. This was followed by a discussion between executives of the two companies.

NPC is currently engaged on a huge expansion project, which when completed in a few years will cover an area of about five times the size of Bermuda and see the company's output of top quality prawns soar to over 40,000 tons per year.

On the second day, the whole delegation was escorted on a tour to see National Prawn Company's operations and the different stages of production.

The NPC is one of the world's largest fully integrated prawn farming operations. It is located on the shore of the Red Sea near Al-Laith, a fishing town south of Jeddah.

NPC sells it prawns domestically and in all major international markets including Japan, Korea, Spain, the UK and the United States.

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100715042301/Prawn%20farm%20seeks%20to%20benefit%20from%20Aramco%20experience

2010-07-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

Al Ain Dairy builds calming milking parlours
Posted by Zawya
Gulf News
Thursday, Jul 15, 2010

Camels refuse to yield milk when confronted with bright colours

Dubai In efforts to provide the most relaxing environment for their camels, Al Ain Dairy is building four new milking parlours to house 48 animals by the end of 2010.

Stoic and drooling, these long-lashed creatures are nevertheless “sensitive” and their feelings must be considered during milking.

“They have character, lots of it. People think it’s a very dumb, stupid animal. But no, absolutely, that’s a misconception,” said Al Ain Chief Operating Officer Shashi Menon.

Just short of providing pedicures, the milking parlour is designed to calm the camels. They are fed during milking, unlike cows, and their calves propelled next to them so the mothers can release milk, said Hamad Zabousi, camel farm manager at Al Ain Dairy.

Far from being a cold clinical process, the mother is encouraged to lick the calf to stimulate the milk hormone oxytocin, he said.

Camels refuse to yield milk when confronted with bright colours, Menon added. Loud noises and unfamiliar faces have to be avoided during milking.

“We just let them deal with people they are comfortable with,” he said.

Camels are tied, milked with vacuum machines, and the milk collected in sterile containers, added Zabousi.

taking it easy

By Deena Kamel Yousef?Staff Reporter

© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_14072010_150765/Al%20Ain%20Dairy%20builds%20calming%20milking%20parlours

2010-07-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

Al Buraimi suffers from carcass, waste pollution
Posted by Zawya
Times of Oman
15 July 2010

MUSCAT: Some waste dumps in the Sultanate are being used to throw dead animals, causing serious health hazards for people who live near them. Several residents of Khadra Al Saih in the wilayat of Al Buraimi have complained about such "misuse" of waste dumps.

Abdullah Musallam from Khadra Al Saih says, "These dumps were used earlier to throw household waste but nowadays they are being used to discard dead animals. There is no proper monitoring being done by the concerned authorities. We can also see large amounts of wastes from cow farms being thrown daily into the dumps."

He adds that, of late, the number of dead cows being thrown into the dumps have increased alarmingly. "There is a stink emanating from these dumps which is effecting the whole residential area, especially when there is wind blowing in the direction of the residential areas," he said.

Though the 'cow dump' is located on a high area, it is just about 1.8 kilometres from the residential area.

Another resident Ahmed Al Shamsi says, "Besides the stink, there is a carbonic substance emanating from one of the sanitary services here in Buraimi. This substance comes in the form of charcoal black grains and causes eye and skin allergy."

The residents have started questioning the authorities: Will concerned authorities in Buraimi governorate take the decision to get rid of this dump? And will it penalise those who throw the carcass near residential area?

Residents of Khadra Al Saih hope that the concerned authorities would help them with some action soon.

According to the website of the Directorate General of Health Affairs, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, two WHO research projects entitled 'Environmental Health Monitoring to Identify Sources of Lead Exposure and Impact on Health Status of Population' and 'Environmental Monitoring and Assessment of Potential Health Risks in Populations Near Waste Dumping Sites' have been carried out by the staff of Poison Control Centre.

The results of the lead study indicated that 6.58 per cent of children in study population of 334 (7-11 years) had blood lead values above the acceptable levels and 25 per cent of children had blood lead levels (BLL), indicating that children are being exposed to lead in the environment. Further studies are required to explore the sources of exposure in home environment, risk factors and health effects of lead exposure especially in children who are less than six years old.

Another WHO study on 'Environmental monitoring and assessment of potential health risks near waste dumping sites' was conducted, to evaluate the adverse health effects related to environmental factors amongst populations around waste dumping sites of Al Ansab and Al Amerat and the surrounding villages.

The study was done in 26 villages comprising 398 study households in two wilayats of Muscat. The total study population was 4,240. The results indicated that the respiratory problems, dermatitis, and conjunctivitis were common in the populations around Oman's waste dumping sites. The environmental factors responsible could be high air levels of sulphur dioxide and high levels of organochlorines in the soil detected in these areas.

However, further well-controlled studies, taking into account the confounding factors, are necessary to substantiate these preliminary findings.

By Fahad Al Mukrashi

© Times of Oman 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100715051535/Oman%3A%20Al%20Buraimi%20suffers%20from%20carcass%2C%20waste%20pollution%20

2010-07-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Saudi-Yemeni Agricultural Cooperation Lauded
Posted by Zawya
Saudi Press Agency
14 July 2010

Sana'a -- Yemeni Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Dr. Mansour Al-Hoshabi has commended the levels of cooperation and coordination existing between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, especially in the agricultural field.

In a press statement published here today, he said there has been a joint coordination between the Yemeni ministry of agriculture and relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia under agreements between the two countries with regard to agricultural exports and imports, in addition to joint programs for control of locusts , agricultural pests, and animal diseases.

© Saudi Press Agency 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100714120100/Saudi%2DYemeni%20Agricultural%20Cooperation%20Lauded

2010-07-13T04:02:00.001-07:00

Projects Worth SR 700 million In Northern Borders Province
Posted by Zawya
Saudi Press Agency
13 July 2010

Arar -- The Director General of Water Department in the Northern Borders Province Eng. Afat Bin Hamdan Al-Sharari has said that water and drainage projects for this fiscal year amounted to more than SR 700 million for cities, governorates and villages of the Province.

In a press statement, he pointed out that the projects included water purification stations, reservoirs, pipelines, pumping stations, drainage systems networks and replacement of networks and reservoirs in old suburbs.

© Saudi Press Agency 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100713100907/KSA

2010-07-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

UAE needs a water strategy
Posted by Zawya
Gulf News
13 July 2010

The UAE needs to take action now in its agricultural sector to ensure long-term security for the national water supply. The country has no rivers, minimal rain, and it has drained most of its underground aquifers, which cannot replenish themselves to meet demand. The only source of fresh water is from desalination, which is both expensive and relies on energy. At present the UAE's desalination plants all rely on gas from the country's hydrocarbon reserves, but in the long term that resource will run out. This is why the new plans for nuclear power are so important, since the energy it generates can be used to produce more fresh water.

However, given that water is expensive to produce, it is vital that the UAE develops a strategy to treat it as the costly resource that it actually is, rather than a free commodity that people can use and waste as they wish. A shocking 76 per cent of the country's water goes on agriculture, leaving industry and domestic use a minuscule 24 per cent of the total. Irrigation is a notoriously wasteful way to handle water. Therefore, to achieve a balanced long-term strategy, the country will need to review how it manages its agriculture.

© Gulf News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100713074942/UAE%20needs%20a%20water%20strategy