Rural areas of the Kingdom are facing an increasing problem of diesel shortage which is threatening their ability to produce and irrigate crops properly. The problem originally confined to the Taif region has now spread to Al-Jouf and Hail regions. Saleh Al-Shayea Al-Krei', owner of an agricultural project in Al-Jouf, said the filling station in Al-Jouf is unable to supply diesel distributors with sufficient quantities, as it has decreased the quantities granted to farmers by 60%. Chairman of the Agricultural Committee in Al-Jouf Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ghali Mubarak Al-Fehaiqi, said an emergency meeting would be held this week to discuss the increasing fuel shortages with farmers and to suggest solutions. Assistant Director General of Agricultural Affairs for the Al-Jouf region, Khamees Anan Al-Daghmani said farmers are suffering because of fuel scarcity in the region. He said a continued fuel shortage could cause massive agricultural losses to farmers if they are unable to pump water using diesel pumps or transport their produce. Close to 32,000 hectares of land is at risk. He said the Agricultural Affairs Administration is ready to help farmers by producing certificates, which would explain the cultivated areas, types of crops and expected amount of fuel needed for each farmer. These certificates would then be used to prove to diesel providers just how much fuel a farmer would need. Farmers of the Al-Jouf region have threatened to sue Saudi Aramco for curtailing the diesel supplies to the Kingdom. Adding to the problem rental of fuel tanker trucks have increased in price by 40 percent. One farmer, Gurayyan Al-Aassi said the Ministry of Agriculture was to blame for the current crisis. He said the ministry had set unclear policies and did not have any representatives in the region. A failure to institute policies for cultivating winter wheat, which require less water and fuel, forced farmers to farm other crops which need more water and fuel. This added to increasing the demand for fuel this summer, the farmer said.
