The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are striving to adopt a unified strategy to support food security projects amidst global challenges facing the sector, according to Faisal Al Ruwais, the head of the Gulf Chambers Union.
Al Ruwais emphasized, in press statements, the necessity for the strategy to focus on developing agricultural, livestock, and fisheries projects to add value to the food industries, enabling GCC countries to achieve sustainable food security for their citizens.
He added that challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, natural disasters, and increasing population growth in the coming years have compelled Gulf governments to implement stringent policies to curb the export of agricultural and livestock products, aiming to achieve self-sufficiency in their countries.
The head of the Gulf Chambers Union stated that GCC countries have launched initiatives, projects, and incentives to invest in increasing agricultural and livestock production as part of their strategy to enhance self-sufficiency in various products.
He stressed the importance of the Gulf private sector’s involvement in shaping the strategy in the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries industries, as well as support services to increase food products and commodities.
The same Gulf official highlighted that studies have been conducted to enhance integration in achieving food security, noting that the added value of the agriculture and fishing sector in the Gulf economy amounted to approximately $30.5 billion.
Additionally, the investment in food technology in GCC countries is estimated at around $3.8 billion.
Al Ruwais revealed an increase in the contribution of the agricultural and fishing sectors to the gross domestic product (GDP) of GCC countries, reaching 1.8 percent, indicating the growth of Gulf companies in the agricultural and livestock sector to a percentage of 20.
