The Board of Directors of the National Fisheries Development Program held its fourth meeting chaired by His Excellency Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen A. AlFadley and members representing the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Interior (the Border Guard Forces), Agriculture Development Fund, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, and the Saudi Aquaculture Society, as well as representatives from the private sector.
During the meeting, the Board reviewed the Program’s plans to achieve one of the objectives of the National Transformation Program 2020, which aims at producing 100 thousand tons of fish products in the Kingdom by 2020, and 600 thousand tons by 2030, pointing out that with the unlimited support of our wise leadership, the fisheries sector will be able to produce more than the target (150 thousand tons) by 2020.
The Director General of the Department of Fisheries, Dr. Ali Al-Sheikhi, said that the National Fisheries Development Program has been able to provide fish products through 70 sales outlets in the largest shopping centers in the Kingdom, stressing that the number will increase to reach 100 sale points in October.
Al-Sheikhi stated that the program aims at providing Saudi products with global standards based on the highest food safety standards. He also pointed out that the farmed fish products are characterized by growing growth in both quantity and quality at affordable prices (20-30 Saudi riyals per kilogram). The Kingdom is the only country in the world that has approved and adopted SAMAQ certification, assuring the quality of fish products, he added.
The National Fisheries Development Program was approved by the Council of Ministers pursuant to Resolution No. (514), and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture shall manage the Program in coordination with the relevant authorities. The program represents a comprehensive national strategy for the development of the fisheries sector, and it aims at enhancing its economic and developmental role, as well as optimizing the natural resources and sustainably raising the production.