The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Fahd bin Abdulrahman Balghunym, has opened the third Poultry Producers Forum in Riyadh, according to Zawya, citing a report from the Saudi Press Agency.

Addressing the Forum, Dr Balghunym commended the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz for the support provided to agricultural cooperative societies in general and cooperative associations of poultry producers in particular.

On his part, the Chairman of Board of Directors of Poultry Producers Association Abdullah Bakr Qadhi said that investments in poultry industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have exceeded 35 billion riyal (SAR), nearly 12 per cent of gross national product, pointing to self-sufficiency in eggs with the production of more than 35 billion eggs annually, in addition to the production of 600 million chickens annually, an equivalent of 60 per cent of self-sufficiency.