KSA’s open-field vegetable production hits 983k tonnes

RIYADH, Aug 21 (Arab News): The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has achieved a firm grip on food security, with its open-field vegetable production touching 983,000 tonnes in 2021 compared to 904,000 tons in 2020, according to the latest data released by the General Authority for Statistics.
The report released by GASTAT noted that the area of open fields cultivated with vegetables amounted to more than 404,000 dunums in 2021, compared to 384,000 dunums in the previous year. A dunum is equivalent to 1,000 sq. meters.
Ensuring food security has been one of the key goals outlined in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, as the oil-dependent Kingdom is exploring economic diversification.
According to the GASTAT report, Makkah came first among administrative regions in terms of area cultivated with summer vegetables, reaching 186,000 dunums and producing over 467,000 tonnes.
Moreover, watermelon cultivation was the largest among summer crops, reaching 237,000 dunums.