These initiatives are expected to provide more than half of the country’s imports of fruits, amounting to around SR4.5 billion
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) is implementing the first phase of two initiatives to plant 49 million fruit and lemon trees in various regions of the country as part of the ambitious Saudi Green Initiative.
These include 45 million fruit trees in agricultural terraces and four million lemon trees with renewable water by 2030.
The initiatives, with the slogan of ‘From Ambition to Action’, will be implemented in cooperation with the Agricultural Development Fund and the private sector establishments.
These initiatives are expected to provide more than half of the country’s imports of fruits, amounting to around SR4.5 billion, so as to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
This was revealed during a workshop organised by the Ministry at its headquarters in Riyadh.
Several officials and directors of the Ministry’s branches attended the event, organised with the aim of formulating criteria and conditions for selecting sites, and determining the locations of nurseries and afforestation to achieve the objectives of the two initiatives.
Under the initiatives, 45 million fruit trees will be planted in the regions of Makkah, Asir, Al-Baha, and Jazan, and four million lemon trees will be planted with renewable water in the areas of Riyadh, Eastern Province, Makkah, Najran, Qassim, Madinah, Al-Baha, Asir, and Jazan.
The two initiatives are expected to contribute effectively to the fruit crop’s sustainability, cultivation and production to achieve food security and sustainable development, exploit rainwater and renewable water, and benefit from it in irrigation and replenishing groundwater reserves.
