Food security in the Arab world faces great challenges with a food deficit of about 32.8 billion USD due to increasing population, lack of infrastructure, price increases and heavy reliance on imports. These factors along with increasing demand for animal proteins and limited water rsources make the issue of food security particularly challenging. However, our long history in the field of agricultural investment has allowed us to acquire adequate capabilities and experience necessary to address the region’s food gap. We have acquired in-depth knowledge through research studies and applied field experiments in animal and plant production as well as agricultural services. This knowledge has been applied in the implementation of agricultural projects across 12 Arab countries and has upgraded the lives of many communities through agricultural and investment projects.

The aquaculture sector is one of the fastest growing nutrition sectors in the world and it is estimated that by 2030 it will be a source of two-thirds of the fish consumed. Accordingly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in the process of developing this sector significantly, benefiting from the availability of the many of the comparative advantages enjoyed by the Kingdom, which will contribute to achieving the objectives of this sector. With the vision of ideal environmental and climatic conditions, all the factors that produce many types of high quality seafood are prepared. The investment in fish farming is rational due to the growing need in the local market and the continuous demand from the international market. Thus, the National Fisheries Development Program has committed to developing this sector to its maximum potential. This is though a budget of SAR1.3 billion dedicated to achieving the sector’s goals through investment in infrastructure, research and development programs and marketing campaigns. In addition, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s adoption of strict product safety regulations and leading quality assurance programs have resulted in Saudi Arabia becoming a globally recognized destination for its safe, high-quality marine products. This has contributed to the rehabilitation of farmed seafood products in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to meet all the standards required by the imported markets.