Jazan showcases growing coffee industry, cultural attractions

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The media trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
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The media trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
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The media trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
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The media trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
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The media trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
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The media trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
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Updated 03 January 2023
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Jazan showcases growing coffee industry, cultural attractions

  • Agritourism, wellness, heritage offerings
  • Soap, oil, lip balm, scrub made from beans

RIYADH: Jazan showcased its most famous attractions here recently for the media, as part of its bid to attract more tourists and investment, including for its rapidly expanding coffee industry.

An Arab News team was on the Flynas A320neo aircraft bearing the logo “Saudi Coffee Year 2022” that landed at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jazan for the four-day tour.




Coffee oil is being produced for the first time in Saudi Arabia on Ahmed Al-Malki’s farm. The benefits of coffee oil include relieving skin diseases and thickening hair. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)

The trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas.

The Arab News team went to Ahmed Al-Malki’s farm where he and his family use coffee beans to make various products.

“We are producing many things, such as coffee soap, coffee oil, lip balm, and scrub, and in the future … we are (also) planning to produce coffee bean sugar,” Al-Malki said.

HIGHLIGHT

The tour forms part of Flynas’ efforts to promote sustainable economic development, and boost the nation’s tourism industry. In particular, the airline is promoting the world-famous Saudi Khawlani coffee on boarding passes and passenger registration signs at airports, and offering customers free cups of the brew on flights until the end of the year.

“Coffee oil is produced for the first time in Saudi Arabia here, and it is extracted from solid coffee fruits. The extraction period takes two months. It is considered one of the most expensive oils in the world. Among its benefits are relieving skin diseases, thickening hair, relieving cellulite, and others,” he said.




Coffee oil is being produced for the first time in Saudi Arabia on Ahmed Al-Malki’s farm. The benefits of coffee oil include relieving skin diseases and thickening hair. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)

Dafer Al-Fahad, director general of Jazan Mountains Development Authority, told Arab News: “Jazan Province has many comparative advantages. The six mountainous governorates are full of investment opportunities especially in agriculture, agritourism, wellness tourism and heritage sites.”

“At the beginning of this year, we signed an MoU with Saudi Aramco to establish a state-of-the-art Saudi Coffee Center and currently, we are in discussions with the Saudi Coffee Company, a subsidiary of the PIF (Public Investment Fund), to set up the Saudi Coffee Academy, and with the Ministry of Culture to establish a Saudi Coffee Museum.”

Jazan province has many comparative advantages. The six mountainous governorates are full of investment opportunities especially in agriculture, agritourism, wellness tourism and heritage sites.

Dafer Al-Fahad, Director general of Jazan Mountains Development Authority

“In the past few years, we have distributed over 1 million coffee seedlings to all farmers, and we continue supporting initiatives by Saudi Aramco and MEWA (Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture) to serve coffee farmers in and outside the province of Jazan. We also provide training, guidance, and contemporary farming techniques to ensure that all farming lands in the region are fully utilized and strategic objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision (2030) are met.”




Coffee oil is being produced for the first time in Saudi Arabia on Ahmed Al-Malki’s farm. The benefits of coffee oil include relieving skin diseases and thickening hair. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)

The tour forms part of Flynas’ efforts to promote sustainable economic development, and boost the nation’s tourism industry. In particular, the airline is promoting the world-famous Saudi Khawlani coffee on boarding passes and passenger registration signs at airports, and offering customers free cups of the brew on flights until the end of the year.

The trip was supported by Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Ali Al-Sane, chairman of the board of directors of the Mohammed Al-Ali Al-Sane Foundation, which supports the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body. The Hayyak Company was an organizing partner, and Ayman Al-Suhayyan and Partners Company a legal partner.

 


Saudi crown prince extends condolences to Kuwaiti counterpart on death of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah

Updated 54 min 26 sec ago
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Saudi crown prince extends condolences to Kuwaiti counterpart on death of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a cable of condolences to Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the passing of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Hamoud Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah.
In the cable, the crown prince extended his deepest sympathy to Sheikh Sabah and the family of the deceased.


Saudi tech diplomat meets Iraqi PM to discuss digital cooperation

Updated 25 November 2024
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Saudi tech diplomat meets Iraqi PM to discuss digital cooperation

  • Deemah Al-Yahya, head of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, commended Iraq’s investment in human capital as driver for growth and expansion of digital economy
  • Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy

RIYADH: Saudi senior tech diplomat Deemah AlYahya, the secretary-general of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, held talks on Monday with Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, about support for Baghdad’s plans to develop its digital business and artificial intelligence sectors.

They discussed Iraq’s strategy for digital transformation, and the need to create and develop a workforce with the tech skills required to help grow the Iraqi economy effectively, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Though Iraq is not a member of the DCO, an international body that focuses on the digital economy, Al-Sudani said his country is keen to work with the organization to meet the nation’s needs for a skilled workforce in the business sector.

AlYahya commended Iraq for the progress it has already made in terms of investment in the human capital needed to develop the digital skills that are essential to drive growth in a digitized economy.

Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy. Authorities this month organized the first Digital Space Iraq Forum, which focused on the use of advanced technologies, including AI, to help build a comprehensive digital economy.

The DCO says that since it was founded in November 2020, it has been at the forefront of efforts to curate policies and initiatives to support the digital economy in several countries. Currently, 16 nations are members, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Oman. It also has 39 observer partner organizations.

DCO member states have a collective gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion and serve a combined market of nearly 800 million people, more than 70 percent of whom are under the age of 35.


Saudi FM pushes for regional stability at G7-Arab foreign ministers meeting

Updated 25 November 2024
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Saudi FM pushes for regional stability at G7-Arab foreign ministers meeting

  • In his address, Prince Faisal highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in an expanded session of the second meeting between G7 foreign ministers and their counterparts from Arab nations on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting was hosted in Italy under the theme “Together for the Stability of the Middle East.”

The session, which addressed pressing regional and international challenges, was held with the participation of Saudi, Jordanian, Emirati, Qatari and Egyptian officials, as well as the secretary-general of the Arab League.

In his address, Prince Faisal emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships to address these challenges effectively.

He highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon, urging the international community to act immediately to secure a ceasefire, facilitate unrestricted humanitarian aid, and progress toward establishing an independent Palestinian state.

He also called for respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty, and renewed international efforts to resolve the crisis in Sudan and alleviate the resulting human suffering.

The meeting was also attended by Prince Faisal bin Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi ambassador to Italy, the SPA reported.


Scientists awarded for sustainable water innovation at Saudi conference

Updated 25 November 2024
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Scientists awarded for sustainable water innovation at Saudi conference

  • Research aims to improve desalination efficiency
  • Makkah’s deputy emir in attendance

JEDDAH: Scientists were awarded prizes for their work in researching desalination and wastewater treatment technologies during an event in Jeddah on Monday.

The third edition of the Innovation-Driven Water Sustainability Conference was attended by 480 experts, scientists, researchers, specialists and 40 leading organizations in the water sector, from 20 countries.

The grand prize — the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024 — went to Lee Nuang Sim from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University for his project “uncovering the power of centrifugal reverse osmosis,” and Sue Mecham, CEO of NALA Membranes, for her project “chlorine stable new membranes for sustainable desalination and wastewater treatment/reuse.”

Visitors attend the third Innovation-Driven Water Sustainability Conference in Jeddah on Nov. 25, 2024. (Supplied)

Mecham, from North Carolina, US, spoke to Arab News after receiving her award, saying: “We are honored to be selected for the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024. Our mission is to bring new membranes to market and reduce the cost and complexity of water purification.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Ghadeer Al-Balawi from the University of Tabuk was another one of this year’s prizewinners with her project “novel heterogeneous catalysts for improving wastewater treatment plants in Saudi Arabia.”

Al-Balawi told Arab News: “I am incredibly honored to be one of the recipients of the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024. This recognition means so much to me. This project has been conducted at the University of Sheffield with hard work and dedication with the assistance of my supervisor, Dr. Marco Conte.”

The event’s opening ceremony was attended by Makkah Deputy Emir Prince Saud bin Mishal and Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, as well as other senior officials.

Following the opening, Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim, chairman of the Saudi Water Authority, said that the event reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting scientific and research innovation as a pillar for achieving water sustainability and security.

Through the conference, the SWA aims to share the impact of innovation in promoting the sustainable supply of water, according to SWA spokesperson Sultan Al-Rajhi.

“This conference discusses the latest global practices and innovative solutions in the water industry, with the participation of experts, scientists and specialists, who emphasize the pivotal role of innovation in accelerating the future prosperity of water and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for water and the environment,” he said.

The two-day conference will continue to feature discussions on more than 180 research papers, as well as a water hackathon organized by the Saudi Water Innovation Center.

 


PSC members visit Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh

Updated 25 November 2024
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PSC members visit Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh

  • The EU and the GCC held a political dialogue session, co-chaired by Pronk and Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC

RIYADH: Members of the EU’s Political and Security Committee, including its chair, Ambassador Delphine Pronk, and ambassadors of EU member states, paid an official visit to the Gulf Cooperation Council headquarters in Riyadh on Monday.

The delegation was accompanied by the European External Action Service Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa Helene Le Gal, and EU Special Representative for the Gulf Luigi Di Maio.

The EU and the GCC held a political dialogue session, co-chaired by Pronk and Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC.

The two parties discussed matters of mutual interest and the need to increase joint efforts to tackle global challenges.

This included the situations in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, Gulf security and Iran, maritime security in the Red Sea region, Iraq, Sudan and the Horn of Africa, as well as Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The committee delegates and the GCC also agreed on strengthening the EU-GCC regional security cooperation.

The political dialogue constitutes an important step forward following the successful first EU-GCC Summit in Brussels on Oct. 16.