KOTRA to Sprout 'K-Smart Farm' in the Saudi Desert

Middle Eastern Countries Strengthen 'Food Security'
"Leveraging Opportunities for the Expansion and Cooperation of K-Smart Farms"

Korean-style smart farm technology is drawing attention as an innovative agricultural solution in Saudi Arabia, a desert nation.

KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on October 22 that they held the "2025 Saudi K-Smart Farm Roadshow" in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for three days starting from the 19th of this month as part of the "Smart Farm Export Promotion Project." Nine domestic companies participated in the event, conducting export and technology cooperation consultations with Saudi buyers and national research institutes.

KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held the "2025 Saudi K-Smart Farm Roadshow" in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for three days starting from the 19th of this month as part of the "Smart Farm Export Promotion Project." Participating companies are conducting export consultations with Saudi buyers. KOTRA

Saudi Arabia consists of 95% desert and relies on imports for over 70% of its total food demand. To strengthen food security, the Saudi government announced the "National Agricultural Strategy 2030" in 2020 and has been expanding research, development, and investment. In response, KOTRA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs have been holding the K-Smart Farm Roadshow annually since 2023 to strengthen cooperation.

This year's roadshow was held in conjunction with the "Saudi Agriculture 2025," the largest agricultural exhibition in Saudi Arabia, which attracted more than 30,000 visitors. Korean companies networked with businesses from 35 countries, which set up a total of 438 booths, to keep abreast of technological trends and seek new opportunities for collaboration. During the roadshow, 95 export consultations were conducted at the event venue alone, with contracts worth a total of 29 million dollars discussed, confirming the potential for expanded cooperation.

The local demonstration process for K-Smart Farm technology has also begun in earnest. The K-Smart Farm Consortium (Nongshim, Phormate, Iocrops, KS Farm), in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), will establish a 2,000-square-meter "K-Smart Farm Demonstration Greenhouse" in Riyadh by the first quarter of next year, where leafy vegetables and fruit vegetables will be cultivated over the next five years.

KOTRA Vice President and Head of the Innovation Growth Division Kim Myunghee stated, "Investment in food security in the Middle East is increasing amid the harsh desert environment," and added, "We will expand smart farm cooperation tailored to the local water, energy, and climate conditions in the Middle East."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.