A Saudi fish specialist estimates the total fish and shrimps consumption in the kingdom at 100,000 tons per annum, according to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper. Approximately 49,000 tons of fish and shrimps are produced locally, while the rest is imported from outside Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Faisal Abdul-Aziz Bukhary, a fish and shrimp specialist at the Saudi Fish Resources Research Center along the Red Sea, anticipates the local shrimp production capacity to rise noticeably in the coming few years. This rise is expected, following the opening of two new shrimp manufacturing projects along the Red Sea.
The first project, which is being established by the Saudi Fish Company in the Shaqiq region in northern Jazan, will produce 1,500 tons per annum. The second shrimp-producing project, which is being established by the National Shrimps Production Company in Al-Layth region in western Jeddah, will produce 20,000 tons per annum. ¯ (Albawaba-MEBG)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
