Saudi Arabia's... Potato Industry Up



Saudi Arabia's potato exports to Gulf countries has been increasing, according to the owner of Jeddah-based Al Bishi Establishment.

"We have been exporting home grown choicest potato varieties to nearby Gulf states," said Gobar Naser Al Bishi during a press conference here on recently.

"We have been experimenting with new varieties with their seeds being imported from Holland and have been successful in producing them on our farm. Jabbar is the latest variety we are introducing now after successfully experimenting with Bellini and other varieties," he said.

Potato cultivation in the 1970s was non-existent in Saudi Arabia, but the crop's growing popularity was reflected in rapidly rising imports since 1978. It was then that the Ministry of Agriculture and Water negotiated an agreement with the Netherlands establishing the Saudi Potato Development Programme, which initiated experimental trials in Qassim and Khang.

Production has expanded at a fast pace since then, due in part to state price supports and subsidies of seed and other inputs. The area around Riyadh and Buraidah accounts for about 35 per cent of Saudi production, while Sulayyil produces another 10 per cent. Areas with minor productions include Madinah, Hail, Tabuk, Hofuf and Dhahran.

"We are growing 25,000 tonnes of Class A variety of potatoes on 1,300 hectares of our farmland at Wadi Dawasir... which meets part of the requirement of domestic market and also contributes to the Kingdom's exports," said Henk Holtslag, export manager of Stet Holland, which grows some established varieties of potatoes in the Netherlands.