Minister of Agriculture Dr Fahd Balghunaim opened here today a workshop on greenhouses, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture under the title of 'Towards Food and Water Security'. Addressing the three-day workshop, Dr Abdullah Al-Obaid, the under secretary of the agriculture ministry for research and agricultural development, underlined the significance of the agricultural sector and its role in the economic development of the country. Dr al-Obaid noted the problems facing the agricultural sector in the Kingdom and said they include scarcity of water resources and high cost of production as well as change of policies of support and protection and limited support services in addition to the weakness of marketing and marketing services. At the international arena, Dr al-Obaid said the problems include repercussions of the phenomenon of globalization which is entailed by opening of markets and increasing competition due to the admission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and establishment of unified GCC customs union, the Arab duty free zone and duty free zones with some other countries. Dr al-Obaid said the ministry of agriculture has taken certain measures to confirm the positive role of the agricultural sector as regards response to the new changes and challenges. He noted that it will underscore the importance of rationalization of water consumption, food security as well as increasing the efficiency of greenhouses and usage of modern technology in greenhouses. --MORE
