RIYADH, 13 February 2003 — The industrial sector in Riyadh grew 3.2 percent in the last Hijra year, according to latest statistics quoted by Al-Watan daily.
The number of factories in Riyadh reached 1,113, accounting for a third of the total manufacturing units in the Kingdom.
According to a report by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the total capital investment in the manufacturing sector reached SR30.3 billion by the end of 1422, an increase of 2.8 percent over 1421. The number of workers increased 2.5 percent in the same period to cross 10,000.
The volume of exports from Riyadh in 1422 exceeded SR3.82 billion. Gulf countries imported more than 61 percent of the region’s total production, while Arab countries accounted for 26 percent and others 13 percent.
According to the report, Riyadh is considered a specialized area for wood and cloth industries. Riyadh’s wood factories make up 44.6 percent of their total number in the Kingdom.
The cloth sector outmatched the wood industry in Riyadh in terms of investment and number of workers.
More than 41 percent of the total number of cloth factories in the Kingdom are in the Riyadh region.
