Saudi Arabia eyes reducing liquid fuel consumption by 95% for agriculture sector

Saudi Arabia eyes reducing liquid fuel consumption by 95% for agriculture sector

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s agriculture sector is on track to achieve a 95 percent reduction in liquid fuel consumption by 2030 as part of its strategy to promote local farming using sustainable practices.

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture recently reviewed the Liquid Fuel Displacement Program and the use of the electric grid to replace liquid fuels used in agriculture to power machinery and equipment such as tractors, harvesters and irrigation pumps.

The LFDP aims to displace more than 1 million barrels of liquid fuels per day across utilities, industry and agriculture by 2030, involving more than 10 government and 20 private companies.

While speaking at a workshop organized by the ministry for the sector, Mohammed Al-Abdullatif, the head of the agricultural team of the program, said that the displacement program would work on replacing the existing energy sources in agriculture with electricity by connecting to the power grid.

“The program will also enhance operational capacity and reduce any external factors affecting the sustainability of the Kingdom’s environmental sectors,” explained Al-Abdullatif.

He added that the program bears the costs of delivering electrical service until the farm gate, besides providing soft loans to meet the necessary modifications to achieve sustainability in the agricultural sector and improve