Saudi Agriculture 2010, the biggest business-to-business agriculture and agro-food event in the Middle East, will kick off on October 4 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The four-day event will highlight the various business opportunities which has been opened up by Saudi government with its decision to increase its 2010 agriculture, water and infrastructure expenditures by 30 per cent to SR46 billion, said the organisers.

The trade show is being held under the patronage of Dr Fahd Abdulrahman Balghunaim, Minister of Agriculture, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Agriculture 2010 – The 29th International Agriculture, Water & Agri-Industry Show, will continue the event’s role of acting as the regiont’s main networking platform for regional and international producers, exporters, agents and distributors since its inception in 1981.

With an annual growth rate of 8 per cent, the Kingdom’s agricultural sector currently leads the regional market and is a top destination for related products ranging from dairy farming equipment, pesticides and packaging systems to cold storage solutions, water management systems and machinery and spare parts from around the world.

Also running concurrently with Saudi Agriculture 2010 are Saudi Agro-Food 2010 – The 17th International Tradeshow for Food Products, and Saudi Food-Pack 2010 – The International Exhibition for Food Processing and Packaging.

“Saudi is the largest economy within the GCC, the world’s top food-importing region as verified by World Trade Organization. With a population of roughly 28 million people, the Kingdom has immense food demands which the government intends to meet by boosting spending on agriculture and related sectors," said Mohamad Al Hussaini, deputy general manager, Riyadh Exhibitions Company.

"Saudi Agriculture 2010 offers insights on how to best maximize domestic prospects while providing a gateway to other lucrative Gulf markets,” he added.

Over 300 local and international exhibitors from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Sudan and Saudi Arabia will take part.

The event will be overseen by Riyadh Exhibitions Company, the leading trade fair organizer in the Middle East.-TradeArabia News Service