Saudi Arabia and FAO step up in-country cooperation

17 May, 2012, Rome - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is to allocate $66.7 million to implement FAO's technical assistance projects in the country, according to an agreement signed today at FAO Headquarters during the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East.

Under the five-year programme from 2012 to 2016, FAO shall provide technical assistance and expertise for 17 specific projects in Saudi Arabia covering several areas.

This will include the transfer of technology, sustainable management of natural resources including water and forests, sustainable crop production and protection, the rational management of animal and fisheries resources, animal health, capacity building and the strengthening of rural institutions.

The programme aims to benefit small-scale agricultural producers and fishers who will be able to increase and diversify food production.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Laurent Thomas, FAO Assistant Director-General for Technical Cooperation, and Khaled Al Fuhaid, Deputy Minister for Agriculture of Saudi Arabia, in the presence of FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and Minister for Agriculture of Saudi Arabia Fahad Bin Abdulrahman bin Sulaiman Balghunaim.