As Saudi Arabia's investments in organic food sector reached $267 million last year, the demand for this natural Saudi product is growing in Europe and Asia. Taking a cue from Saudi Arabia other GCC countries have also announced initiatives to increase the region's share in the $220 billion global organic food market. Saudi Arabia has been leading regional efforts to grow the organic foods business further. The country's private sector has already established a Saudi Organic Farming Association in cooperation with the Gtz, the German Embassy's cooperative arm to oversee the development of organic food, using a SR15 million seed fund. To promote organic farming in the country the Council of Ministers has approved Saudi Organic Farming Association (SOFA), with a mandate to support the Saudi farmers engaged in organic farming. Riyadh-based Al-Watania Agricultural Company, the first ISO 9001 Quality Management-certified agricultural company in the Middle East, intends to help sustain the Kingdom's pioneering position in the region's organic food and natural products industry. Officially endorsed by French organic certification organization ECOCERT, organic products are of such high quality that they are seeing major demand throughout Europe and Asia. The company continues to develop enhanced standards for organic produce through its four agricultural farms at the Al-Jouf, Al Qassim and Wadi Al-Dawaser regions. Al-Watania recently inked a deal to boost the visibility of its products at the Saudi branches of French international hypermarket chain Carrefour as part of its expansion efforts across the Kingdom. The Gulf's own market is estimated at around $300 million, with Saudi Arabia, the area's largest food consumer, representing almost 90 percent of the sector. There are currently over 3,000 outlets dedicated to organic and natural products across the Gulf, with rising regional prioritization of health and safety expected to boost this figure within the next few years. Saudi Arabia was keen to support organic farming in the country, as the interest among the Saudi consumers has been rising for this type of agricultural produce, Dr. Fahd Bin Abulrahman Balghunaim, Minister of Agriculture, has said earlier. Balghunaim was elected as the first president of SOFA, which has a 10-member board. Prof. Ibrahim M. Alshahwan, owner of Buraidah-based Alshahwan for Organic Farming and elected board member of SOFA said Balghunaim was elected as SOFA president not in the capacity of a minister but as an organic farmer himself.
