Since its launch in late November 2013 in Al-Da’ir Bani Malik Governorate, the Saudi coffee festival, known as “Al-Kholani Coffee”, has stimulated interest in coffee cultivation and expansion, investing the efforts of farmers and their association with the coffee tree and planting it as an ancient heritage, and translating the state’s plans to enhance social and economic development.

The number of coffee farmers increased from 592 farmers during the first edition of the festival, which is organized annually by Al-Daer Governorate, under the guidance and support of His Highness the Emir of Jazan and His Highness his deputy, to reach during the current edition to 1,802 coffee farmers in the governorates of Al-Daer, Faifa, Al-Ardah, Al-Aydabi, Al-Raith, and Haroub, while the number of coffee growers increased from 592. Coffee trees increased from 70,000 trees in 2013 to 332,857 coffee trees during the current year, of which 203,504 are fruitful trees.

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture sought to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 through the project to rehabilitate agricultural terraces in Jazan, the application of rainwater harvesting techniques and modern irrigation systems, and the development of crop agriculture, in order to provide large quantities of water, raise the efficiency of its use for agricultural purposes, and rely on renewable sources It contributes to achieving food security and rural development, increasing the productivity of strategic crops, and promoting social and economic development.

The Ministry’s efforts contributed to increasing the number of farmers and increasing the number of coffee trees, and then increasing production, through its program for sustainable agricultural rural development, targeting the development, production, manufacturing and marketing of coffee to reach the production efficiency of the coffee crop, and it encouraged coffee farmers with various support programs through the Reef platform and funds Specialized support and its multiple programs, which eased the burdens on farmers and pushed them to expand and reclaim their agricultural terraces.

For its part, Saudi Aramco launched a series of programs to support small and medium enterprises for coffee farmers, including a program launched in 2016 to train coffee farmers on the latest sustainable farming methods for coffee production, and to improve production and marketing methods. The company also built a development project to encourage coffee cultivation that enhances the quality of agriculture and the quality of Seedlings, while Aramco recently strengthened its efforts by signing a memorandum to establish a Saudi coffee center in the Jazan region with the Jazan Mountainous Regions Development and Reconstruction Authority and the Al Ber Charity Association in Al-Daer Governorate, with the aim of promoting the use of the latest technologies for the production of coffee seedlings, and raising the production capacity to more than 300 thousand seedlings annually. Since its inception, the Saudi Aramco program has contributed to planting more than 200,000 coffee seedlings and supporting 975 farmers, with a production capacity of more than 800 tons of coffee by the end of 2021.

In turn, the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) contributed to the promotion of field experiments with agricultural nutrients, which contributed to increasing coffee production and quality.

The Saudi Coffee Association, which was inaugurated in conjunction with the launch of the current edition of the festival, bears great hopes for strengthening the effective private sector partnership to take charge of the development of the coffee cultivation sector, shaping work platforms and raising the efficiency of marketing, investment and industries based on it.

150 farmers continue to display the best types of coffee at the current festival, presenting presentations to introduce the history of coffee as a culture that is presented to generations, and investing all these efforts; To proceed in preserving the coffee tree as an ancient agricultural heritage in Saudi Arabia and a valuable economic product in an effort to sustain its cultivation and develop its industry.

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