Dr. Salem al Lawzi, the newly elected General Manager of the Arab Agriculture Development Organization, stated based on recent indicators, that Arab States' agricultural production hit $83 billion, approximately 14 percent of the total Arab GDP. He added that although 51 percent of the Arab World's population (265 million) lives in rural areas, the agricultural labor force captures nearly 40 percent of the overall Arab labor force.
Dr. al Lawzi disclosed that Arab agricultural exports contribute 4.5 percent of total exports, al Quds al Arabi daily reported. Meanwhile, agricultural imports constitute 18 percent of Arab world imports. The land used by Arab farmers occupies a total of 52 million hectares. The Arab water resources used total 248 billion cubic meters per year, of which annual consumption amounts to approximately 191 billion cubic meters.
– albawaba.com
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
