Official statistics indicate that the agricultural trade deficit of the Arabian Gulf states has grown from seven billion dollars in 1995 to $10 billion in 2000, reported Al-Hayat. Gulf States thus suffer from a low self-sufficiency ratio in vegetables, fruits and meat.
Most Arabian Gulf states do not contribute to the region’s agricultural sector as much as other Arab countries in the Middle East region, asserted Al-Hayat. The main reasons for the sluggish performance of the agriculture sector in the Gulf States are the restricted amount of arable territories, lack of irrigation systems and strong competition with foreign agricultural products. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
