Ministry Brief

Beginning and establishment:

The government shed light on agriculture since 1927 when agriculture was considered a significant source of life, wealth, and economy. His Highness King AbdulAziz - may Allah have mercy on him - had ratified the Decision of the Shura Council, which provided for an exemption to all agricultural implements from customs duties, and the development of the agricultural movement in Saudi Arabia by importing some agricultural machinery and equipment in 1932to be distributed by the Ministry of Finance among farmers at affordable prices. Since then, there has been a growing interest in agriculture during the following phases:

In 1947, the Directorate-General for Agriculture was established and linked to the Ministry of Finance, with the task of reforming lands, improving irrigation, distributing water pumps, building dams and canals, digging springs and artesian wells, providing loans to farmers, and cooperating with some agricultural technical expertise for training farmers and guiding them toward modern agricultural methods.
In 1953, the Directorate-General for Agriculture was later transformed into the Ministry of Agriculture and Water by Royal Decree No. (5/21/1/4951) dated 24/12/1953. The Ministry has functioned well since then with six agricultural units located in several cities: Riyadh, Kharj, Ahsaa, Madinah, Jazan, and Buraidah, and established an office in the Ministry for Water and Dam Affairs.
In 1961, the Agricultural Affairs Agency, and the Water Affairs Agency were established.
In 1965, the High Committee for Administrative Reform issued Resolution No. (8) dated 16/10/1965, which provided for dividing the Ministry of Agriculture into two main departments.
The Agriculture Affairs
The Administrative and Financial Affairs.
In 1970, the Desalination Affairs Agency was established; which was later changed to the Saline Water Conversion Corporation in 1974.
The Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water under the Council of Ministers Resolution No. (34) dated 21/10/1985 that was endorsed by Royal Decree No. (M / 3) on 24/11/1985.
In 2002, Royal Order No. (27482) was promulgated on 15/09/2002, which separated the water sector from the Ministry of Agriculture, and established an independent Ministry of Water.
In 2016, Royal Decree No. (A / 133) dated 07/05/2016 was issued to abolish the Ministry of Water and Electricity and to amend the name of the Ministry of Agriculture to the “Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture”, to which tasks and responsibilities related to water and environmental affairs were assigned.

Main Duties:

Supervising and developing the environment, water, and agriculture affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Providing subsidies, loans, and equipment to farmers in coordination with the Agricultural Development Fund.

Guiding farmers to adopt modern farming practices.

Preparing uncultivated lands suitable for agriculture and granting these lands to citizens to cultivate them.

Preserve the vegetation cover of rangelands or irrigated pastures and forests for development and afforestation.

Preserving the wild agricultural environment and the fisheries and aquatic environment.

Providing irrigation water suitable for agriculture through wells, dams, and earth dams.

Encouraging the export of surplus agricultural, livestock, and fish production to destinations outside the Kingdom.

Increasing the potential production of local food.

Developing agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and related industries.

Developing resources and manpower.

Self-sufficiency of food, plant, and animal products and their derivatives.

Conduct applied research aimed at introducing advanced approaches in the field of agriculture, livestock, and fisheries.

Designing, implementing, operating, and maintenance of irrigation and drainage projects, and distributing irrigation water to promote the efficient use of these resources.

Protecting, investing, and developing living aquatic resources (fishing in the seas, fish farming). Conducting a survey of the areas of fish populations in the seas and their quantities, disseminating this information to beneficiaries and fishermen, and encouraging the use of modern fishing techniques.

Protecting agricultural and animal resources through the application of animal and plant quarantine systems on Saudi’s land, air, and sea ports.

Ministry Leaders Since Its Establishment:

His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz from 24/12/1953 to 05/11/1955.
HE Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Sudairi from 05/11/1955 to 18/01/1956
HE Mr. Khalid Al-Sudairi from 18/01/1956to 21/12/1960
HE Mr. Abdullah Al-Dabbagh from 21/12/1960 to 15/03/1962.
HE Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Sheikh from 15/03/1962 to 31/10/1962.
HE Mr. Ibrahim Al-Swailem from 31/10/1962 to 29/08/1964.
HE Mr. Hassan Al-Mishari from 29/08/1964 to 13/10/1975.
HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sheikh from 13/10/1975 to 08/11/1994.
HE Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Khuwaiter on behalf of 08/11/1994 to 01/08/1995.
HE Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Muammar from 01/08/1995 to 06/05/2003.
HE Dr. Fahd bin Abdulrahman Balghanaim from 06/05/2003 to 08/12/2014.
HE Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji from 09/12/2014to 05/02/2015.
HE Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen A. AlFadley from 06/02/2015 to present.

The water sector was an independent ministerial body, the Ministry of Water and Electricity, from mid-2003to mid-2016 when it was headed by the following ministers: