The Ministry of Interior and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) recently signed an agreement for the university to conduct a study on “providing the Kingdom's need for wheat amid the scarcity of water resources”. The agreement was signed at the Research Institute at KFUPM in Dhahran by Dr. Ahmad Bin Muhammad Al-Sinani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Regional Affairs and Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the study. It was signed on behalf of the university by Dr. Saad Bin Nash'at Abdul Jawad, Deputy President of KFUPM for Applied Research and Studies. After the signing, Al-Sinani said the study was ordered by Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior. Prince Naif is also Chairman of the ministerial committee tasked by the King to assign specialist scientists to study this subject in a comprehensive and integrated fashion, he added. He said KFUPM was chosen from a number of local and international research institutions because of its world-class research standards. He said previous studies on the subject had not been adequate. Al-Sinani said he was confident the university would produce balanced results. He said government was first warned about the effect of wheat farming on water resources from a study issued in 1975 by the Ministry of Economy and Planning. Other studies also drew similar conclusions. For this reason, the ministerial committee was keen to carry out a study that would determine the exact effect this farming has on the country's water resources. The Kingdom wants to grow wheat locally to achieve food security and to depend less on imports. Al-Sinani said the Kingdom's policy had previously focused on safeguarding water, stopping the distribution of arable land, not drilling wells and relying gradually on imported wheat from abroad. But the wise leadership saw that it was necessary to study alternatives so that both food and water security could be achieved, he added. Dr. Muhammad Al-Saud, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Water and Electricity for Water Affairs, said water and agriculture issues are of critical importance for the country's future. He said a study is needed on wheat production and water resources. He said the quantity of water used for agriculture has decreased to 14 billion cubic meters from 23 billion cubic meters in 2003. Measures for conserving water started 17 years ago. He added that it was difficult to determine the amount of water stored underground because it is linked to the country's demographic profile. There are areas that have abundant groundwater but no population. He stressed that wheat is a strategic crop and discussions are taking place to grow it once again without affecting water reserves. Dr. Sahl Abdul Jawad, Deputy President of KFUPM for Applied Research and Studies, said the university was honored to conduct this important national strategic study. He said KFUPM is known for its experience and international standards.
