Qatar is seeking to invest in the Saudi agricultural sector, an official from the Qatar National Food Security Programme (QNFSP) has revealed.
Salim Al Nabit, Market Development Director of the Economic Section at QNFSP, said that Qatar had made a formal request to invest in the Saudi farm sector because of the proximity of both countries.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a semi-regional consultative workshop on investment in food security in the GCC states and Yemen, the Saudi daily Asharq Al Awsat said. Asked why Qatar launched the initiative, Al Nabit said that the project aimed at benefiting Qatar and would also create job opportunities for many Saudis, if approved by Riyadh.
Dr Abdullal Al Wahbi, Coordinator of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Saudi Arabia, said that some GCC countries had invested in the agricultural sector of Sudan and Egypt in the past, but the projects failed because of poor infrastructure in those countries.
He said that although Arab countries had upgraded their agricultural laws recently, more than 1,300 million tons of food is wasted annually in these countries. "The wastage of food has diverse impacts on the export and import of Arab countries," he said.
Emirates 24|7
17 November
