Regulations for planting wheat, seasonal fodder crops approved

Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture (MEWA), approved the regulations for planting wheat and seasonal fodder crops. The decision will be effective from the date of its publication, and will supersede any previous conflicting decisions.

According to Umm Al-Qura Official Gazette, the regulations for allowing local agricultural companies and major farmers to plant wheat and seasonal fodder crops state that drilling new wells for wheat and seasonal fodder crop cultivation on the sedimentary shelf is not allowed. Only existing licensed wells on the farm can be used.

Licenses for maintenance, cleaning, or deepening of wells can be issued if necessary, according to the regulatory conditions for these licenses.

Local agricultural companies and major farmers may not start planting wheat and seasonal forage crops unless they get a license to use the water source (wells), in accordance with regulatory conditions, and they must adhere to water-saving practices with an irrigation efficiency of no less than 75%.

The licensee must cultivate wheat and seasonal forage crops once per year, starting with the wheat at the beginning of the planting season and ending at the harvest season. Seasonal forage crops should begin in the winter season and end in spring, within a maximum period of 180 days per year.

The licensee must only cultivate the licensed area.

Moreover, the authority will buy the wheat crop from licensed farmers according to the quantities licensed by the ministry, not exceeding 1.5 million tons annually, with prices determined periodically in agreement between MEWA and the Ministry of Finance.

The total area allocated to local agricultural companies and major farmers for wheat cultivation on the sedimentary shelf must not exceed 50,000 hectares, based on available infrastructure and existing well licenses.

Wheat planting may not also commence without obtaining the necessary license from the ministry, specifying the (region, farm coordinates, licensed area, and crop type), in accordance with the procedural path established.

Seasonal fodder crop planting is only allowed with crop rotation, and the ministry will issue the necessary license for this.

For seasonal fodder crop planting for local agricultural companies and major farmers, licenses will not be issued only after three years from the date of the Cabinet’s decision, and the enforcement of the permanent fodder crop planting ban, based on water conditions.

The Saudi Cabinet in December 2023 allowed local agricultural companies and major farmers to plant wheat and seasonal fodder crops according to regulations set by MEWA, Argaam earlier reported.

MEWA proposed the draft regulations for wheat and seasonal fodder crop planting in January for public feedback.