A 214-million Saudi riyal ($57 million) contract was recently signed by the Saudi Minister of Agriculture and Water, Abdullah Bin Muamar, for the supply water from Arda Valley to the residents of the Baha region and its surroundings, reported Al-Jazira daily.
Saudi Arabia aims to reduce water consumption, especially by the agriculture sector, in a bid to slow the depletion of its dwindling water resources. As part of the national effort to conserve water, Muamar recently announced that Saudi Arabia would cease its green fodder farming.
However, the minister noted that the feasibility of such measures depends on finding cattle feed alternatives. Saudi official have urged the private sector to establish a fodder industry, based on utilizing agricultural wastes, rather than fresh water. — (Mena Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
