The International Agriculture, Water and Agri-Industry Show (Saudi Agriculture 2011), to be held on Sept. 19-23 at the Riyadh International Exhibition Center (RIEC), will feature the latest products, technologies and services in areas ranging from frozen and chilled foods, confectionery, chocolates, health and natural foods, to presentation, processing and packaging equipment. The Kingdom's food and beverages market is worth $5.6 billion. “This year marks the 30th anniversary of Saudi Agriculture, a show that has grown exponentially over the years and has provided the perfect platform for food industry players to capitalize on the lucrative Saudi market that has been backed by strong government support,” said Mohammad Al-Hussaini, deputy general manager, Riyadh Exhibitions Company. Profile for exhibit includes animal health, apiculture and honey, agricultural finance and banking, agricultural products and services, breeding, chemicals and fertilizers, cold storage, crop production, dairy farming products and equipment, feeds, additives and feeding systems, fisheries and fish farming, handling and transport systems, irrigation, landscaping, machinery and spare parts, netting and crop protection, packaging systems and products, paper and plastic products, pesticides, pipe systems, poultry feeding and watering systems, pumps, refrigerated transport, seeds, soil nutrition products, spraying machinery, veterinary products, water treatment, water management systems, and warehousing. To enable such developments, the government allocated $12.3 billion in the 2010 budget for water, agriculture and related infrastructure, a 30 percent rise on 2009. A further $12.9 billion has been disbursed by government credit institutions for developing agriculture, industry and infrastructure in the Kingdom, while the Agriculture Development Fund is being restructured. On a more micro level, attention is being placed on expanding dairy production to meet domestic and regional demand.
