H.E. the Vice Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mushaiti, reviewed during a meeting at the Riyadh Chamber, in the presence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber, Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Obaikan, the objectives of the agricultural sector and its key challenges, in addition to mechanisms for strengthening partnership with the private sector to support growth, sustainability, and the achievement of the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

The meeting also discussed the challenges facing investors in the agriculture, water, and environment sectors, foremost among them supply chains, agricultural production inputs, the regulatory frameworks for the water sector, and environmental licensing.

H.E. also reviewed the objectives of the environmental sector and the efforts to rehabilitate one million hectares of land, noting the increase in agricultural production in the Kingdom from 6 million tons to more than 16 million tons, and the increase in the agricultural sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product from SAR 74 billion to more than SAR 124 billion.

The meeting also highlighted investment opportunities in the circular economy and waste management, with investments in the sector expected to reach SAR 600 billion by 2040. H.E. explained that groundwater consumption in the agricultural sector has declined by more than 40%, while agricultural production has grown to more than 16 million tons annually.