RIYADH, 26 July 2004 — Saud Arabia concluded substantial date export deals with the United Kingdom recently. The transactions were finalized at the Royal Agricultural Show held in Warwickshire recently, Europe’s premier agricultural event.
“Many Saudi companies that took part in the show were successful winning contracts to export dates to Britain,” said Dr. Fahd Al-Sultan, secretary-general of the Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI).
He was speaking on his return to Riyadh after the four-day show, which attracted 161,410 visitors. He said 14 Saudi companies that exhibited their products were also able to promote a wide range of products using the United Kingdom as a gateway to Europe.
The show is organized annually by the Royal Agricultural Society of England. It provides a showcase for quality products in sectors of agriculture, including the latest research and developments in science, post-harvest technology, livestock genetics, animal health, crop diversification and quality and agricultural machinery. The British Embassy in Riyadh organized the Saudi participants in the show in coordination with the SCCCI.
Saudi Arabia produces 830,000 tons of dates annually from the 32 million date palms in the Kingdom and production is likely to increase to one million tons by the end of 2010, Dr. Sultan said. Currently, Saudi Arabia exports agricultural products such as dates, vegetables and fruit to Britain.
The Kingdom is one of the largest producers of dates in the world. Date plantations in the Kingdom have been modernized and the 200 varieties of dates produced are packed and marketed to international standards. Saudi Arabia exports wheat, dates, dairy products, vegetables, eggs, fish and poultry to markets around the world. Agricultural products makes up 10 percent of the Kingdom’s total exports and it is expected to double by 2020.
Trade between the Kingdom and the UK during the year 2003 was estimated at SR26.88 billion. During this period British exports to Saudi Arabia stood at SR12.88 billion, up 32 percent over the previous year and invisible exports were valued at SR14 billion. Kingdom’s exports to Britain totaled SR5.46 billion, up by nine percent over the previous year.
The Saudi pavilion at the show was organized on the initiative of Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi ambassador in the United Kingdom. In addition to the Saudi businessmen, the others who represented the Kingdom at the show included, Dr. Fahd Balghnaim, minister of agriculture, Dr. Abdullah Al-Obaid, deputy minister of agriculture, as well as John Lawton, a British agricultural expert based in Riyadh, who made a presentation about Saudi agriculture.
“It was a fruitful participation by the Saudi companies. They got a good platform to showcase their products and their achievements in the field of agricultural sector,” the Trade and Investment Officer of the British Embassy Mansour Taqi-Eddin told Arab News.
Mansour who accompanied the Saudi delegation to the show said that a large section of the crowd visited the Saudi pavilion and they showed immense interest in the products displayed by the Saudi companies.