section_path: Economy/Agriculture
section_name: Agriculture
paragraph_text: Agriculture
  
  Initial attempts to develop dairy farming on a commercial scale occurred in the Al Kharj District (just south of Riyadh) during the 1950s. Serious large-scale agricultural development began in the 1970s, particularly with wheat. The government launched an extensive programme to promote modern farming technology; to establish rural roads, irrigation networks and storage and export facilities; and to encourage agricultural research and training institutions. As a result, there has been a phenomenal growth in the production of all basic foods. Saudi Arabia is self-sufficient in numerous foodstuffs, including meat, milk, and eggs. The country exports dates, dairy products, eggs, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Dates, once a staple of the Saudi diet, are now mainly grown for global humanitarian aid.In addition, Saudi farmers grow substantial amounts of other grains such as barley, sorghum, and millet. As of 2016, in the interest of preserving precious water resources, domestic production of wheat, which it used to export, ended. Consuming non-renewable groundwater resulted in the loss of an estimated four-fifths of the total groundwater reserves by 2012.
  
  The kingdom has some of the most modern and largest dairy farms in the Middle East. Milk production boasts a remarkably productive annual rate of 6,800 litres (1,800 US gallons) per cow, one of the highest in the world. The local dairy manufacturing company Almarai is the largest vertically integrated dairy company in the Middle East.
  
  The olive tree is indigenous to Saudi Arabia. The Al Jouf region has millions of olive trees, and the number is expected to increase to 20 million trees.
  
  As part of the country's ongoing plan to plant 100 Mangrove seedlings along its coastlines, the National Centre for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has announced that it has planted 13M seedlings.