GCC chief: Agriculture, food security top strategic priorities

Jassem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has emphasized that agriculture and food security are strategic priorities and fundamental pillars for joint Gulf action, reflecting member states’ commitment to developing agricultural and food production and strengthening their readiness to face challenges.

Al-Budaiwi made the remarks while chairing the 38th meeting of the GCC Committee for Agricultural and Food Security Cooperation, held today in Manama and presided over by Bahrain’s Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Wael Al-Mubarak, with the participation of ministers responsible for agriculture and food security from GCC countries.

He noted that the 19th consultative summit of the GCC Supreme Council, held in Jeddah last April, resulted in directives to boost the bloc’s crisis preparedness, including a study on establishing Gulf-wide strategic storage zones.

Al-Budaiwi added that national efforts in this field include the UAE’s adoption of agricultural technologies to develop specialized crops, Saudi Arabia’s enhancement of its strategic food reserves and early warning systems, and Qatar’s implementation of its National Food Security Strategy 2030, alongside similar programs in Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait.

He stressed that these initiatives are essential to achieving the objectives of the GCC food security strategy.