[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Private sector participation is vital, asserts Al-Fadhli" ids="125271,125272,125273"] By Samar Yahya ORGANIZED by the Directorate General for Agriculture Affairs in Makkah of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the two-day Jeddah Agricultural Forum (JAF), in its first edition, and the accompanying exhibition kicked off on Wednesday at the Jeddah Hilton. Held under the auspices of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, advisor to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Emir of Makkah, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli stressed the importance of private sector participation in activities specific to the ministry at the opening ceremony. With participation of over 25 speakers at the JAF, Al-Fadhli stressed the ministry's keenness to raise the quality of services provided through the optimum utilization of resources and rationalization of expenditure in accordance with the regulatory framework of each sector. He explained that the ministry is working on the implementation of several initiatives within National Transformation Program in environment sector dealing with the phenomenon of adaptation to climate change, environmental sustainability, increase of green areas, combating desertification, and preservation of biodiversity in number of 19 initiatives with total cost exceeded two billion six hundred million riyals and capital costs of this year are seven hundred and fourteen million riyals. Al-Fadhli noted that agriculture sector related initiatives are 23 that exceeded total cost of eight billion and four hundred million riyals, as capital costs for the year about two billion, three hundred million riyals, the ministry has worked on the preparation of sustainable agricultural development strategy till 2030. Abdullah Bakr Al-Qady, who spoke on poultry producers, noted the volume of investments in the industry exceeded SR45 billio; the Kingdom has achieved self-sufficiency in eggs and now is looking to achieve self-sufficiency in broiler chickens for domestic market. Stressing the ability of producers on achievement through collaboration. Al-Qady invited junior and senior producers to join Poultry Producers Association in Saudi Arabia, especially that the Cabinet has agreed to encourage producers to invest in poultry. JAF opens communication abilities that fits private sector in order to trusting the leading role achieved by the forums to come up with recommendations to contribute to the Kingdom's Vision 2030. JAF also spreads the concept of the overall awareness of food safety and works to strengthen the connections and links with the community, investors and other governmental institutions.
