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