An agreement is signed by ARASCO, Cargill, and NEOM Food to investigate how they may collaborate to support best practices and enhance sustainability in the Saudi aquaculture industry.
12 February 2023 – The Arabian Agricultural Services Company (ARASCO) signed an agreement with Cargill, one of the world’s top agribusiness companies, and NEOM, the Saudi Arabian region focused on innovation and sustainability, to investigate how they can cooperate to support the sustainable growth of the Saudi aquacultural sector and the country’s ambition to become self-sufficient in demand for aquaculture protein by 2030.
In December 2022, the memorandum of agreement (MoU) was signed in Riyadh with the participation of Nasser bin Abdulaziz Abanmi, CEO of ARASCO, Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor, Head of NEOM Food, and Helen Ziv-douki, Global President of Cargill’s Aqua Nutrition business. In order to meet the growing domestic demand for aquaculture, the three parties will collaborate to investigate and scale up sustainable solutions, including through research and development into more sustainable feed sources.
“Aquaculture began in Saudi nearly 35 years ago, now it became one of the highest exports in the KSA, and as per the statistics, aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors in the world, and in Saudi we enjoy abundant natural resources along the west coastline (2,600 KM Long) where aquaculture can be a great potential opportunity to serve food security in Saudi, said Nasser A. Abanmi, ARASCO CEO. Additionally, we need aquaculture to help feed the world. By 2050, there will be 9.7 billion people on the planet, according to the UN, and this growth will put huge pressure on food security and production in general, and fish in particular which is aligned with ARASCO’s mission to support food security in a sustainable way within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in the Middle East.
We look forward to working with NEOM and Cargill in this noble mission”.
“Aquaculture offers the most sustainable way to produce protein in terms of water consumption and carbon emissions to arid countries such as Saudi Arabia. This agreement will ultimately lead to addressing the need to replace fishmeal by more sustainable fish feed” said Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor, Head of NEOM Food. “Additionally, it aligns with NEOM’s efforts to facilitate the production and supply of sustainable seafood while protecting the marine environment. We look forward to working with ARASCO and Cargill to transform the seafood-production industry and minimize the environmental impact.”
“Providing sustainable protein to feed the growing population requires all of us to work together,” said Helen Ziv-douki, Global President of Cargill’s Aqua Nutrition business. “We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with ARASCO and NEOM with the aim of producing the seafood the world needs while minimizing its impact on the planet.”
This project is in line with the strategies and goals for the expansion and diversification of the Saudi economy outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which calls for establishing self-sufficiency in a variety of sectors, including the food industry, and expanding export markets when practical.
With three business areas that deal with food security, ARASCO is the leading producer of animal feed in the Middle East and has 40 years of experience.
