During his visit on 11-12 June 2023, Deputy Minister Krzysztof Ciecióra participated in the 4^th meeting of the Polish-Saudi Joint Commission and the Polish-Saudi Business Forum. He also held meetings with the representatives of the management of the Saudi Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

Prospects for Polish-Saudi cooperation in the field of agriculture

During his talks with the Saudi partners, the Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stressed the potential of the Polish agri-food sector as a sound and reliable food supplier to the KSA. At the meeting of the Joint Commission, particular emphasis was placed on the importance and prospective character of the Polish-Saudi cooperation in the field of agriculture.

Poland is keen to increase its agricultural exports to the KSA. The Minister of Trade of the KSA pointed out that his country imported cereals from Australia, but he did not exclude the possibility that these imports might be diversified.

Poland’s readiness to increase exports

Undersecretary of State Krzysztof Ciecióra stressed that Poland was a major producer and exporter of agricultural products, including poultry, milk and beef. He added that we were ready to increase the value and volume of agricultural exports to the Saudi market which was very important for us.

The Deputy Minister announced that Polish companies would present their specific offer at the Foodex Saudi Expo to be organised in Riyadh in September 2023.

Cooperation of research institutes

Deputy Minister Krzysztof Ciecióra also declared the readiness of the research institutes supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to cooperate with their Saudi partners. In light of the interest of the Saudi representatives, he confirmed the Polish entities’ readiness to share their knowledge in the field of beekeeping, organic farming and rural development.

The position of Saudi Arabia

An important part of the visit was the meeting of Deputy Minister Krzysztof Ciecióra with the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the KSA. The meeting was held in a very good atmosphere and had a constructive character. The interlocutors confirmed that they were interested in strengthening the cooperation in the field of agriculture, with particular focus on the development of trade, as well as on sharing knowledge and experiences.

The Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the KSA confirmed that his country had to import most of agricultural products and that Poland was one of the suppliers of these goods to the KSA. The KSA discerns special prospects for the development for exports from Polish partners in the sectors of wheat, barley, red meat or fruits. In turn, the KSA was interested in exports of dates and fishery products to Poland.

The Deputy Ministers agreed that the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of agriculture now being negotiated would give momentum to deeper cooperation.

Deputy Minister Krzysztof Ciecióra invited his interlocutor to pay a visit to Poland in order to become acquainted with its achievements and advanced solutions applied in Polish agriculture.

Polish agri-food exports to the KSA

In 2022, the value of the agri-food exports to the KSA was EUR 520.7 million. The main exports to the KSA included tobacco products, bread, bakery products, cakes and pastries, wheat and meslin, processed food, cheeses and curds.