More than 2.4 million tons of livestock forage will be imported into Saudi Arabia annually by 2016 if it is to keep up with the Kingdom’s booming dairy and poultry industries, according to a leading Gulf agriculture expert.
John Lawton, GM, Agricultural Technology Company in Saudi Arabia, says when it comes to output and efficiency, Saudi Arabia’s dairy industry is among the world’s best, making it a major exporter of dairy derivative products to neighboring Gulf and Middle East countries.
“This export has led the Saudi government to insist that for every liter of milk exported from the Kingdom, an equivalent amount of 1 kg livestock forage is imported,” said Lawton, a speaker at the Agribusiness Outlook Forum, a feature of AGRA Middle East which takes place from March 26-28 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center.
“Already this has significantly increased the importation of alfalfa and other baled forages into the Kingdom, which has in turn released arable land for the production of other crops,” he added.
According to Business Monitor International (BMI), milk production in Saudi Arabia will grow by 27 percent by 2016, reaching 2.4 million tons.
The Kingdom is home to some of the most advanced dairy farms in the world, with the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company, Almarai a leading example of cutting edge technology in harsh desert climates.
Lawton will be speaking at Agribusiness Outlook Forum about GCC food security from an agricultural perspective.
He said the poultry industry in Saudi Arabia is also expanding, with Almarai again leading the charge, as poultry consumption in the Kingdom is expected to increase by 14 percent by 2016, reaching 1.6 million tons.
