Director of the Agricultural Plots Department at the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources, Falah Al-Mutairi, efforts are continually being exerted to strengthen the food security system in the country, and achieve self-sufficiency in local crops and agricultural products, to ensure demand of consumers are met through central markets, factories and cooperative societies without obstacles and at reasonable prices.,
Al-Mutairi pointed out that the rate of self-sufficiency in local agricultural crops has reached 65% up from 40% in 2017. He told a local Arabic daily that the authority has been working in more than one direction to achieve self-sufficiency in local produce for years, as well as to enhance and support food security, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and pointed to the success of its efforts in transforming the farming pattern to green houses in farms. The number of greenhouses in 2016 was 18,000 and now the number is 70,000.
He explained that the use of greenhouses in agriculture contributes to an increase in production at double rates, compared to the amount produced from agriculture in open fields, and also contributes to rationalizing water consumption.
Al-Mutairi added, the sector is working to develop the agricultural lands by providing infrastructure, providing services, controls and laws, paying attention to their maintenance and combating desertification, exploiting agricultural resources from an integrative perspective and limiting their availability for use, and developing a clear strategy for food security keeping in mind the sustainable agricultural development goal.