Aiming to bridge the food gap in the Arab world, 153 agricultural integration projects costing a total of $2.3 billion in investments have been initiated in the past year, revealed a recent report by the Arab Economic Unity Council.
According to the Al-Watan daily, the food gap in the Arab world reached $90.7 billion in the last decade. This gap remains a heavy financial burden for many Arab states.
The projects launched aim also to increase agricultural exchanges amongst Arab nations, which, according to official statistics, currently stand at $3.9 billion per annum. This figure is equivalent to 13.2 percent of the total agricultural exchanges between Arab countries and international markets, which amounted to an average of $29.8 billion yearly over the past decade.
The Arab Economic Unity Council estimated the product value of the agricultural sector in Arab countries at an average $7.2 billion per annum. This figure is equivalent to 12.6 percent of the total GDP value of the Arab nations. ― (MENA Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
