Belt Auction

KSA section - Do any of you farm?

Just curious. Agriculture is big in my corner of the world. Do any of you farm or live near a farm? If so, what do you raise or grow? Are most farms privately owned or run by the government in the KSA? Where do you sell your produce or livestock? Is there a local auction? Are there farm co-ops or farmers unions? What kind of gov't subsidies are available? Are water rights an issue? Is farming lucrative (do you make good money at it)? Don't feel obligated to answer all the questions, just add your input as you can.

Public Comments

1. most of my relatives have a farm in a city called "alqassim" they live in riyadh though .. but they visit their farms on the weekend or once a month! " they own the farm" they have a house in the farm, vegetables, DATES, fruits, rabbits, camels, cows, lambs, sheeps, and a dog to protect it. I'm not sure if they sale anything .. but i know that half of what my grandpa's produce goes to charity xD ... and my uncle always gives or shares his dates n Ramadan xD even if u're 8957382 miles away he sends it to you! I love it when we go there! specially when we ride the horses xD
2. well, you can't call it farm .. i like to grow plants in the backyard it's quite big but it have a lot of plants like i keep cropping Nakhal ( dates tree ) and corn but the corn dies very fast with me but still i just give the neighbors some of our dates :D i don't sell it it might cause trouble without the government agrees for it. Salam dude :]
3. no, but I lived on a farm as a child in the US. It's a great experience. I don't think I'll ever have a farm here. My husband is 100% a city guy.
4. no, but id love to, since I grew up on a farm in USA.. I know about animals and gardening etc.. I used to assist my grandfather when the veterinarian used to come out monthly to deal with the large animals, giving shots, taking blood tests, grooming, shoeing, etc.. (I should have went to vet school like my first choice was instead of education, but oh well) My gran taught me how to drive a tractor, had to assist in plowing the fields, planting the crops, tilling, etc.. spraying, harvesting, hauling. it was hard, but fun all the same.. Now what do I do? nothing but grow a few tomatoes outside my "in city" home and possibly some herbs in my windowsill.. I sooooooooooooo miss the country life..
5. no, i don't.
6. Most are privately-owned. Some are owned by large agricultural companies. Produce is sold on the local market. There are no co-ops or unions of any kind in Saudi Arabia. The government used to heavily subsidize wheat production in the 80's and 90's. A dreadful decision that destroyed the country's groundwater reserves forever. I think they also give (or used to give) loans through the Agricultural Development Bank, but I'm not sure. I don't think water rights are a huge issue because there are no permanent bodies of water here. Yes, farming has traditionally been quite lucrative, especially with the insane government subsidies. I think people still make money from farming dates and livestock feed. There are also massive dairy farms owned by joint-stock companies that are quite lucrative as well.