Saudi Arabia took part in Bahrain for the 38th Ministerial Committee meeting on agricultural cooperation and food security. The Kingdom reviewed progress in implementing the GCC Food Security Strategy, as part of efforts to deepen coordination and integration among member states and build a more resilient regional food security system capable of maintaining stable agricultural and food supply chains. Saudi Arabia's delegation was led by Eng. Ahmad Alfares, President of the General Food Security Authority (GFSA).
The committee commended Saudi Arabia for its role in developing the GCC Food Security Strategy and preparing a comprehensive framework for a regional plant genetic resources bank. It also recognized the Kingdom's efforts to establish early-warning mechanisms to monitor and analyze indicators linked to food supply chains.
The meeting addressed a range of issues affecting agriculture, livestock, fisheries and food security across the GCC. Officials also reviewed a report on a consultancy project examining modern technologies and artificial intelligence applications in farm management and agricultural productivity across the Gulf states. The project is being carried out in cooperation with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
The committee also followed up on decisions from its 34th meeting and reviewed the implementation of resolutions adopted at its 37th meeting. Several unified regulations, laws and implementing rules were approved during the session.
Saudi Arabia's participation underscores the Kingdom's efforts to strengthen an integrated Gulf food security framework and enhance coordination among GCC members as regional and global developments affect agricultural production and food supply chains.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Saudi Arabia announced that it would host and chair the committee's 39th meeting. The Kingdom said it would continue working with GCC partners to expand cooperation. Saudi Arabia also thanked Bahrain for hosting the meeting and commended the efforts to ensure the meeting's success.