Saudi Arabia: SFDA steps up monitoring of organic products

The Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture will monitor imports and exports of organic products in the Kingdom and analyze and inspect those that are available on the market, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

Some food experts consider organic products as essential ingredients in any healthy diet because they are produced without using chemicals and harmful pesticides.

The Council of Saudi Chambers’ agricultural national committee’s deputy head Sultan Al-Thunayyan said organic farming in Saudi Arabia is developing slowly.

He said: “Organic farming in the Kingdom is lacking sufficient investment. “It is a field that is facing many obstacles such as a lack of consumer awareness on the difference between organic and non-organic products, lack of sufficient organic seeds, fertilizers and pesticides available for farmers, a lack of experts and agricultural engineers in the Kingdom and the need to import organic products.”

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