The Saudi government has asked the private sector to approve a developed agricultural registry (tasattur) in the farms, as of September, in order to reduce practices that promote commercial cover-up.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture unveiled a project aimed at registering and updating data on agricultural, animal and fishery activities and agricultural properties by using latest technologies in the field of remote sensing, satellite images and artificial intelligence.
According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, the ministry of Commerce has requested the business sector - based on the directives of the Ministry of Environment - to approve the actual implementation of a developed agricultural registry for the sale of agricultural products.
The move followed efforts by the Environment ministry to put an end to practices that cause commercial concealment in the agricultural sector, including sale of farming products such as fertilizers, pesticides and others.
The ministry had previously announced that more than 655 employees distributed in 13 regions and 151 governorates, units and offices, were working to issue developed agricultural records for farms that include 11 agricultural and animal activities, in addition to preparing for the issuance of activity licenses.
The ministry also stressed that as of September 2022, agricultural companies and institutions would not be allowed to sell production supplies to farmers except under a developed agricultural registry, with the aim to contribute to the elimination of commercial cover-up, in accordance with best practices that achieve food security and protect the farmers and investors.
The project aims to organize agricultural and animal activities across the Kingdom, build geospatial databases, carry out field surveys, collect and analyze information using the latest technologies, and eliminate products of unknown origin, in order to reach sustainable development and protect natural resources, in line with the goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to support and promote diversified agricultural investments and achieve self-sufficiency.
