Saudi Arabia: Shifting Sands
22 December 2008 For centuries, a Westerner’s mental picture of Saudi Arabia has been of a kingdom rising from a sea of burning sand, with only the random lush oasis spaced across the desert for respite. Whether this image ever held any place in reality, it’s certainly true no more, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has dedicated itself to the conservation and development of natural resources, establishment of irrigation and drainage projects, and agricultural development, resulting in self-sufficiency in many agricultural products.
Even though the low annual rainfall keeps the Kingdom dry throughout the year, government projects to reduce soil salinity and enhance its structure through drip and sprinkler irrigation have greatly increased arable acreage in Saudi Arabia; today, there are nearly 2 million hectares available for planting. The majority of increased acreage is dedicated to cereals, particularly wheat, with an annual production of over 2.5 million tonnes.
Dr. Mahmoud H. Rashwan of ASDCO Agro offers that wheat requires fertilizers, herbicides like diflufenican mixers against broad-leafed weeds, and Hussar and Atlantis from Bayer and Boxer from Syngenta against narrow-leafed weeds. Fungicides such as carbendazim are sprayed, advises Dr. Rashwan, “after 35 days from germination.”
For the second spraying, he recommends epoxiconazole 125 gm/l, or Rex Super from BASF. “In fact,” Rashwan continues, “Rex Super is the first fungicide in the Saudi market. The other fungicides used are Folicur from Bayer; Amistar, and Tilt from Syngenta; Punch C from DuPont; and you’ll find many generic pesticides from China, India, Jordan, and from local manufacturers.”
The Saudi Kingdom’s focus on agriculture has produced an open market, where outside companies can find distributors on the internet, through exhibitions, or magazines like Farm Chemicals International. The development of greenhouses has transcended the problem of seasonal vegetable production, and every year the agricultural acreage grows larger, making Saudi Arabi’s future bright and growing.
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