Saudi wheat tops grain production in ’23

Saudi Arabia’s wheat crop led the nation’s grain cultivation in 2023, accounting for 63.4 per cent of the 331,000 hectares dedicated to grain production and yielding a total of 1.75 million tons. Among the regions, Al-Jouf ranked first, with 62,000 hectares under cultivation and a production of 1.314 million tons of wheat.

The kingdom also cultivated 89,000 hectares of open-field vegetables, generating a total output of 2.53 million tons. Riyadh led in this category, covering 26,000 hectares and producing 854,000 tons. Watermelon was particularly prominent within this sector, occupying 26.7 per cent of the area and contributing 614,000 tons to the total yield.

Greenhouse vegetable cultivation spanned 7,000 hectares across more than 121,000 greenhouses. Tomatoes dominated this category, covering 36.7 per cent of the greenhouse area and producing 300,000 tons.

Meanwhile, the kingdom’s 37 million palm trees yielded 1.903 million tons of dates, with Qassim contributing over 10 million trees and a production of 578,000 tons. The “khalas” palm variety was the most common, represented by 9.4 million fruitful trees that produced 609,000 tons. Other perennial trees, excluding palms, numbered over 41 million, led by olive trees at 20 million, yielding 343,000 tons.

Organic farming expanded to cover 23,410 hectares, predominantly dedicated to perennial trees (excluding palms), which represented 52 per cent of the organic farming area and produced 95,389 tons.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia imported 16.94 million tons of agricultural products, with grains constituting 69 per cent. Exports reached 447,241 tons, with fruits and citrus peels comprising 70.3 per cent of total exports.

Attribution: Agriculture Statistics 2023

Subediting: M. S. Salama