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Reef Saudi program aims to boost rainfed crop yields in Jazan

The initiative aims to educate farmers about the benefits of genetically improved varieties in boosting crop production. (Photo: @MEWA_KSA)
The initiative aims to educate farmers about the benefits of genetically improved varieties in boosting crop production. (Photo: @MEWA_KSA)
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Updated 19 October 2024

Reef Saudi program aims to boost rainfed crop yields in Jazan

Reef Saudi program aims to boost rainfed crop yields in Jazan
  • The program includes training sessions for ministry employees on conducting research on rainfed crops and equipping agricultural advisers with the skills they need to provide high quality support

JAZAN: The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, also known as Reef Saudi, has launched an initiative at the Jazan Agricultural Research Center to enhance rainfed crop productivity, bringing together experts, specialists and employees from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

The initiative will help to increase the yield of crops like corn, millet and sesame by implementing effective agricultural practices and modern technologies. It also aims to educate farmers about the benefits of genetically improved varieties in boosting crop production.

The program includes training sessions for ministry employees on conducting research on rainfed crops and equipping agricultural advisers with the skills they need to provide high quality support.

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KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province

KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province
Updated 51 sec ago

KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province

KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province

RIYADH: The Kingdom’s humanitarian agency KSrelief has sent urgent aid to Pakistan in response to the recent floods in the nation’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

The convoy had set off on Wednesday from Islamabad in the presence of º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Pakistan’s Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah Khan, and other officials.

Al-Malki said King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the aid to help needy people in the crisis-hit region.


Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi

Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi
Updated 49 min 53 sec ago

Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi

Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi
  • The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program supports farmers and other producers

RIYADH: The agricultural development program Reef Saudi is backing Lomi Hasawi, an exhibition dedicated to the lime fruit that grows in the Al-Ahsa region of º£½ÇÖ±²¥.

Reef Saudi, formally known as the Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, which is participating as a gold sponsor, is a government entity supporting the industry’s development in the Kingdom.

The lime is grown widely in the Eastern Province, particularly in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, and locals have been farming it for centuries.

The Lomi Hasawi Exhibition, organized by the Al-Ahsa Chamber, runs from Aug. 21 until Sept. 6.

Reef Saudi spokesman Majed Al-Buraikan said the program, which supports producers, had provided SR342,000 ($91,000) to the lime sector in the province, benefiting 89 farmers.

And that support has boosted production to over 122,400 tonnes, he told the Saudi Press Agency recently.

The fruit sector is a key focus for the program, which aims to diversify local agricultural production, raise efficiency, and contribute to achieving self-sufficiency, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, according to the SPA.


º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network

º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network
Updated 21 August 2025

º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network

º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network
  • Jubail irrigation network has pipelines running over 11,600km
  • Protects environment and combats climate change, says official

JUBAIL: Jubail Industrial City operates the world’s largest integrated smart irrigation system, which is helping to protect the environment, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.

Citing information from the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, the report stated that the system is managed by a unified control center that includes more than 12,200 smart devices, and processes about 1.2 million signals daily.

Safar Alnutayfat, the RCJY’s operation and maintenance manager, said:  “The system serves as a national model aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 for environmental sustainability, advancing digital transformation in resource management, and activating smart cities with high efficiency.â€

Alnutayfat explained that the commission manages a vast irrigation network extending over 11,600 km of pipelines.

RCJY's unified control center that manages the irrigation system has more than 12,200 smart devices, processing about 1.2 million signals daily. (SPA)

With the use of the smart system, the commission has reduced operation and maintenance costs by over 35 percent, while recycling treated water for irrigation at about 2.8 million cubic meters per month, he said.

Alnutayfat said the system, which is in line with the goals of the Saudi and Middle East green initiatives, rationalizes consumption of natural resources, increases vegetation cover, and combats climate change in the area.

RCJY's unified control center that manages the irrigation system has more than 12,200 smart devices, processing about 1.2 million signals daily. (SPA)

 


Saudi FM speaks to Emirati, Qatari, and Bahraini counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)
Updated 20 August 2025

Saudi FM speaks to Emirati, Qatari, and Bahraini counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate phone calls with his counterparts from the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.  

During the phone calls with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Prince Faisal discussed the latest regional and international developments and issues of common interest. 


Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students

Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students
Updated 20 August 2025

Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students

Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students
  • Family’s role, school’s institutional responsibility, students’ proactive steps also crucial

RIYADH: Eradah Mental Health Complex has emphasized the critical need for psychological support for students returning to classrooms in the coming weeks, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

Eradah identified several factors crucial to good mental health: the family’s role, the school’s institutional responsibility, and proactive steps from students themselves.

Families must help cultivate reassurance through structured home environments, the center said.

Parents should also involve children in preparations for school and exhibit enthusiasm for learning, while encouraging independence and social connections, it added.

Schools also bear equal responsibility in creating psychologically safe environments in which mistakes are treated as natural learning components rather than grounds for punishment, Eradah added.

The Riyadh-based center said that educators needed to praise effort regardless of outcomes, and deploy interactive teaching methods to reduce academic stress.

Another important responsibility included monitoring behavioral changes for early intervention, it said.

Family partnerships should be established for student support and comparisons that foster negative competition should be rejected and learning differences respected, Eradah added.

Students are urged to approach the academic year as a new opportunity by setting realistic goals, maintaining positive relationships with peers and teachers, and balancing studies with recreation through organized schedules.

Eradah emphasized that schools and teachers now hold unparalleled influence over the mental health of students, describing their role as fundamental and no less important than families in building resilient personalities.