The Ministry of Agriculture is willing to make wasteland available for the Kingdom's much-needed housing program, said Dr. Fahd Balghunaim, Minister of Agriculture, Tuesday. There are two types of land that can be made available for this purpose, said Balghunaim. There is land in urban areas which can be granted to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs under a Cabinet decision and land outside urban areas, which falls under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture according to the Wastelands Act. “If the Ministry of Housing wants any of this land, the Ministry of Agriculture will support its request, because this serves the public interest and supports the desire of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to increase the number of residential units for citizens,” the minister said, during the opening of the second organic products' marketing workshop in Riyadh. Balghunaim, meanwhile, pointed out that the organic agriculture development project was started with the formation of an advisory committee consisting of the Saudi Standards, Meteorology and Quality Organization, Ministry of Commerce, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, King Saud University and the Agricultural Committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said that all organic products produced locally can be replaced by imports, so local producers should not attempt to raise prices. He said a lack of consumer awareness and input from producers were the most significant hurdles facing the organic agriculture industry. This “is why there's no competition and prices are rising”. He called on more businesspeople to invest in organic products, which is currently one percent of the market. Balghunaim said organic food production is still in its infancy, “although we have noticed good demand from farmers and producers, many of whom want to turn to organic agriculture. This is why the ministry is determined to continue its organic agriculture program. The Ministry of Finance has approved all sums needed for the program. Currently we are in the third stage of the program,” he said. He added that there is currently a “misunderstanding” regarding the Council of Ministers' decision to remove the rice subsidy. “There is one area where rice is cultivated, which is Al-Ahsa. The state approved a subsidy of a quarter of a riyal per kilogram for this product years ago. This will not do now because Al-Ahsa rice is in great demand and one kilo is sold for about SR25. It is unreasonable for the state to ask residents to rationalize consumption of water and subsidize rice at the same time,” he said. Okaz/Saudi Gazette __
