RIYADH, 20 May — Agriculture and Water Minister Dr. Abdullah Muammar yesterday emphasized the need for supplying adequate quantities of fodder at competitive prices and said it was a “basic requirement” for the development of the country’s animal resources.
Addressing a meeting organized by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry on industrialization of fodder in the Kingdom, Muammar said there were 816,000 camels, 290,000 cows, 10,600 heads of sheep and about six million goats in the Kingdom as per 1999 figures.
Industry and Electricity Minister Hashem Yamani said the Kingdom would require 9.2 million tons of fodder by 2010. He called upon businessmen and industrialists to establish new fodder factories.
Muammar highlighted measures taken by the government to ensure enough supply of fodder at reasonable prices. He said a Royal Decree was issued last year to supply barley at the rate of SR18 per bag when the prices in some areas soared to SR30. It also exempted all animal feeds as well as materials used in manufacturing fodder from customs tariff.
Muammar pointed out that his ministry had conducted a study to develop a suitable alternative for barley. He stressed the need for increased private sector participation in fodder production. “There is scope for establishing large fodder factories in the Kingdom,” he said.
Yamani said there are 48 fodder factories in the Kingdom with a total capacity of 4.3 million tons and an investment of SR876 million. The ministry has given licenses to 49 new factories which would require an investment of SR671 million.
The Kingdom imports a large quantity of fodder to meet the growing demand. In 1999, it imported 389,000 tons of fodder at a cost of SR397.5 million. The General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills produces about 60 types of fodder required by the country’s farmers.
