Riyadh: Vice Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Mansour Al-Mushaiti affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia places great importance on the beekeeping sector, adding that this focus stems from the sector's pivotal role in enhancing food security, ensuring the sustainability of natural resources, and preserving biodiversity. He noted that the ministry is deploying an integrated ecosystem to develop the sector, empower beekeepers, and raise production efficiency in direct alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and national environmental sustainability initiatives.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the vice minister's remarks came during the ministry's celebration of World Bee Day, which featured a dedicated exhibition showcasing local honey products. Eng. Al-Mushaiti said that bees are no longer viewed merely as a traditional food source; they are now recognized as strategic partners in sustaining vegetation cover and addressing rapidly evolving climatic challenges.
He emphasized the Kingdom's remarkable progress in this vital sector, noting that total natural honey production now exceeds 7,786 tons annually. This high production volume is supported by a robust network of more than 10,000 licensed beekeepers managing over two million beehives distributed across various regions of the Kingdom. This growth is driven by the continuous support of the ministry, the Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program (Saudi Reef), and strategic partnerships with cooperative societies, universities, and research centers.
During the exhibition, the vice minister launched an innovative vending machine project for bee products. These machines, designed to offer various types and sizes of local honey to meet consumer preferences, will be strategically deployed across high-traffic locations, including airports, shopping malls, and major hospitals.