June 5, 2024

Expansion plan aims to increase Saudi Arabia's self-sufficiency of poultry meat to 80% by 2025

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, revealed an expansion plan for the country's broiler sector and support services.

The plan will be executed in cooperation with relevant authorities to boost Saudi Arabia's self-sufficiency rate of poultry meat to 80% by 2025 as a first stage to achieve food security. It will contribute to pumping new investments into the domestic poultry production sector with a value of SR17 billion (US$4.5 billion) until 2025, in order to achieve a target production capacity estimated at 1.3 million tonnes of broiler chickens annually, Al-Fadhli said.

He also affirmed that the plan will help achieve national food security, increase the contribution to local content and provide jobs opportunities.

Al-Fadhli stressed that the Agricultural Development Fund for companies and institutions wishing to expand in the poultry production industry would provide around 70% of the investment cost when using advanced technologies, adding that the new expansion investments will boost the role of the poultry production sector in providing high-quality local products at appropriate prices.

This comes in line with the goals of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 to support the private sector, increase its contribution to economic development and raise its contribution to the gross domestic product.

Saudi Arabia's self-sufficiency in poultry meat production increased from 45% in 2016 to 68% in 2022.

- Asharq Al-Awsat