May 15, 2009
Saudi wheat crop seen to fall 40 percent this year
Saudi Arabia's wheat crop is expected to fall 40 percent this year from 2.7 million tonnes in 2008, Saudi-based Al Riyadh daily reports Thursday (May 14) citing Hassan Al Shahri, chairman of the association of Saudi wheat producers.
The decline is due to many factors including higher fertilizers prices, Shahri said according to the paper.
The decline is also due to a decision by the government, taken two years ago, to gradually reduce its purchase of locally produced wheat as part of a strategy to cut agricultural cultivation requiring high water consumption, he added.
This led many farmers to abandon the cultivation of wheat and opt for other crops such as palm and olive trees cultivation, in addition to fodder production, Shahri said according to the daily.
