RIYADH: Uruguayan Ambassador Carlos A. Mora said on Thursday that top officials of the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) have left for Uruguay regarding food sufficiency plans.

“SALIC wants to invest in logistics and infrastructure projects to hasten food exports from Uruguay. The Kingdom produces only 20 percent of its food requirements,” Mora told Arab News.

SALIC, which was formed three years ago, invests in overseas projects to meet the food requirements of the Saudi population which touched 29.6 million in January 2015.

He added: “The Uruguayan government had invested in infrastructure projects in the past but it has to do more. We also need investment in railways and trains. We need least $3 billion for the projects mentioned.”

SALIC officials include Abdullah Sulaiman Al-Rubain, president and chairman, and Abdullah Alduba Ikhi, chief executive officer.

The Uruguayan ambassador said that the SALIC officials had earlier made a presentation on what they were planning to do.

“I encouraged them to continue with their plans and they secured their visas from the embassy before the holidays,” Mora said.

He added that “there’s really a need for us to invest in infrastructure projects like roads, ports, bridges, among others, for a more efficient and faster movement of produce from farm to market.”

Asked about the money from SALIC to be invested in infrastructure projects, the Uruguayan diplomat said that “it could probably be a loan to be repaid.”

The Uruguayan ambassador said that when finished, these projects will hasten movement and transportation of food exports from his country to Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi Arabia made the right choice in selecting Uruguay to supply the additional food requirement,” the Uruguayan envoy said.

He said that his country’s population is only about 4.5 million but it produces food for 30 million people and that it plans to increase it to feed 40 million in the next five years.

Uruguay, which comprises 170,000 million sq. km, has 16 million hectares for agricultural production and raising cattle.