Saudi tech leaders explore G20 platform for futuristic agriculture solutions

Executives of Saudi agritech companies participate in the G20 Agritech Summit on Aug. 28, 2023 in New Delhi, India. (AN/Photo)

• G20 India Agritech Summit focused on technology to enhance agriculture
• Saudi delegates search for latest technologies to apply in Kingdom

NEW DELHI: Top Saudi companies are looking for futuristic solutions to redefine agricultural services, their chief executives told Arab News, as they explored the platform of G20 agritech meetings in India.
Leaders of Saudi companies specializing in food security, agricultural investment, robotics, aquaculture, robotics, and artificial intelligence took part in the G20 India Agritech Summit in New Delhi on Monday.
A flagship event under India’s presidency of the group of 20 largest economies, the summit saw in attendance more than 50 delegates from G20 countries aiming to explore ways to use technology to enhance agricultural productivity, improve supply chain management, and promote sustainable agriculture practices.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Kusayer, chairman of Autonomous Technologies, told Arab News that the meetings provided an opportunity to get connected with other entrepreneurs and technology developers.
His company utilizes advanced futuristic technologies such as robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, and AI for the planting and agriculture sector in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m talking with multiple companies, and I find it very promising,” he said, referring to “the unique needs in Saudi,” which included special water solutions and the ongoing flagship green initiatives to plant billions of trees not only in the Kingdom but the whole region.
“Saudi has sponsored 40 billion trees in the Middle East and 10 billion trees in Saudi Arabia. That’s a huge mandate and this is just one of many mandates.
“I’ve met a lot of very promising companies in technology and also in watering systems, irrigation systems, and I believe there is good potential,” Al-Kusayer added.
The Saudi delegation was led by Dr. Huda Alfardus, CEO of HealthGena, a Riyadh-based digital incubator and accelerator that aims to globalize Saudi companies. Those that participated in the summit took the opportunity to forge global links.
“We are delighted to share knowledge and also learn from best practices from global companies that are participating in the summit,” Dr. Khalid Alballaa, chief commercial officer at Naqua, a leader in aquaculture operations on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, told Arab News.
“The potential is limitless. There are multiple ways for collaboration: best practices, knowledge, technology, contracts, and beyond.”
Faisal Al-Amri, chief financial officer at XGene, an award-winning Saudi startup specializing in biotech, was looking for opportunities for agricultural investment and partnerships especially in the field of robotics.
“We came here to find all the latest technologies and all the latest trends, also to talk to other farming companies, to see what they are up to, and what they have achieved,” he said.
“There are many opportunities. They are not limited only to discovering new partnerships. It’s more than that. It’s trading experiences between each other, discovering opportunities to invest, also finding new technologies.”
Mohit Jain, project head of Lilawati Environmental and Agricultural Foundation, who hosted the summit, told Arab News that agritech solutions sought after by the Saudi delegation made an impression on the event’s organizers as ways to achieve innovative and sustainable agriculture.
“The advanced technology solutions pursued by Saudi Arabia were impressive and have the potential to greatly benefit today’s agriculture by improving efficiency, resource management, and sustainability, as well as enabling data-driven decision-making and innovative farming techniques,” he said, adding that he was also looking forward to more cooperation with India.
“We would continue to carry this spirit of G20 as we work together toward a resilient and food-secure future.”