Saudi Arabia is set to establish a SAR 2.2 bn smart food city in the Najran Economic City, Smart Food City and National Food Security Committee Chairman Shaker Al Harthi told Asharq Business on Thursday during the Najran Investment Forum. The project is set to feature a dry port, cold storage warehouses, livestock quarantine areas, and packaging plants.

What else we know: The project — to be located at the Al Wadiah border crossing with Yemen — will be developed on a 1 mn sqm plot over three years. Further details on partners and investors were not disclosed.

This project is the latest in a string of food security projects across the Kingdom, including new industrial clusters by Modon and a SAR 9 bn livestock city launched in January. An agreement to create a smart city dedicated to food security was also signed at the Saudi-Chinese Forum for Product Export and Agricultural Sustainability last month.

DATA POINT- The agricultural sector contributed SAR 114 bn (3.2%) to the GDP last year, up from SAR 109 bn in 2023.

On the Najran Investment Forum: The two-day forum wrapped up on Thursday, with 53 investment prospects valued at over SAR 639 mn showcased to public and private sector players, with 14 cooperation agreements signed, state news agency SPA reported.

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