Vegetable production

in Saudi Arabia
 Introduction
-The total area of Saudi Arabia is about 2.25 million square kilometers.
-Almost a quarter of this are represent suitable soil for agriculture depends on the availability of
water for irrigation.
-The cultivated area increased from 400 thousand hectares in 1978 to 2.2 million hectares in
2004.
-Most of the kingdom lands lies within the tropical and Sub-tropical zone, which is characterized
by long hot summer.
- Most of the Kingdom considered dry. The average rainfall about 90 mm except in the west and
southwestern area (mountainous areas) where the rainfall exceeds 300 mm.
- Evaporation is very high specifically in desert areas of low humidity due to the hot summer and
scant rainfall.
 Saudi Economy and
Agriculture Sector
-Saudi economy had witnessed an enormous general development in the last few
decades.

-The average GDP has reached 4.34% during the period 1970 to 1999 and the
inflation rate had not exceeded 2%.

-As the result of the great concern and encouragement of the government of the
kingdom to the agriculture sector the agriculture shifted from a primitive methods of
production to a developed sector using the most modern technology.

-The GDP of the Agriculture sector increased from about (S.R. 6.7) billion in 1981 to
(S.R. 35.6) billion in 2000 with annual growth rate of 8.1%.
-The contribution of the Agriculture sector in the non-oil GDP had increased from
4.1% in 1981 to 10.4% in 2000.

-The estimated labor force working in the sector, including the fisheries reached
about 551000 workers.

-The list of agricultural export include diary, dairy byproduct, poultry meat, eggs,
potato, dates and some kind of vegetables.
 Self sufficient ratio of some
domestic agricultural products
(2003)
2003)

Products %
Cereals 35
Vegetables 81
Fruits 60
Meat 52
Dairy 100
 Vegetable production in
Saudi Arabia
-Vegetable production area in Saudi Arabia has reached 94034 hectars in 2004
producing 3196000 tones of fresh vegetables with average annual growth rate of
3% .
- Greenhouse vegetable production reached 147817 tones in 2003 and number of
projects was 283. this make around 8% of the total production.

- Winter production of vegetables and flower are also available in the fields and
greenhouses with high exporting potential to European market.

-The climate during winter season is suitable for producing high quality vegetable
which cab be exported to European market. This is one of the comparative
advantages of Saudi production.
 Alrasheed Greenhouses
-Alrasheed group is the largest company working in greenhouse vegetable
production in Saudi Arabia.

-The company has started in 1987 with 8 hectares of glasshouses. Now its running
more than 60 hectares of fully automated glasshouses.

-In 2004 the total production was more than 15 thousands tons of different type of
vegetables, mainly tomato, Cucumber, sweet pepper (green, red, yellow and orange)
and green beans (round and flat).

-Due to its high quality products, the company became the first supplier of the large
supermarket, hospitals and hotels.
-Tow years ago, the company started using the biological control systems in
different location with cooperation with an international company (Koppert).

-Now we became the first company introducing the biological products in Gulf
area.

-The company has different location in the central and northern region of the
kingdom.

-The company gives a great attention to the quality of there products, starting
from the selection of fine seeds from a well known international company.

-Grafting technique was introduced to producing tomato seedling to improve

plant growth and yield.
-Bumble bees were also introduced in the greenhouses to improved pollination
in tomato.

- The company using different type to soilless agriculture system such as NFT
and different growing media.

-The company supervising the instalition of new greenhouse projects in

cooperation with companys from holland.

-The company aim to transfer and establish the greenhouse technology in

Saudi Arabia
Technical support
-Greenhouse industry has started in Saudi Arabia with a help of large company
from Holland.
-Most of the technical and production input in the greenhouses came from
Holland.
-Alrasheed group coordinate with several international company mainly from
holland since 1978 and represent some of them in Saudi Arabia such as:

-Verbakel/ Bomkas
-BLGG
-- Koppert
-DE RUTER SEEDS
Conclusions
-Greenhouses has a compatitive advantages in Saudi Arabia as a tool of
sustanable agriculture sysmtem.

-High production per unit area and higer water use effeciency in the
greenhouses make a big advantage in Saudi Arabia as the water is a very
limiting source.

-To expand the greenhouses projects in Saudi Arabia further coopration is

needed in following areas:

-Technical assistant to improve the production quality and quantity through

atraining vists.
-Markiting assistance is needed to introduce our high qaulity products to the high
price market such as the europain market.

-Innatiate ajount research projects to adapt some greennhouse technology to the

local conditioon. (greenhouse cooling Co2 Growing media)
Thank you for your
attention