MANAMA: His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister said the development of agriculture sector was part of the Kingdom’s commitment in delivering significant improvement across various sectors particularly food security and dairy products.
His Royal Highness made these remarks at the opening of the BIGS 2014 and applauded the efforts of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) to develop the agricultural sector in Bahrain. His Royal Highness further added that this initiative would add an important dimension to the development of the agriculture sector and the imtroduction of the state of the art machinery for the agriculture sector.
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa deputized Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty and President of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD), to launch the 10th Bahrain International Garden Show (BIGS) in a ceremony at which Her Royal Highness was accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.
The event, organized by NIAD in cooperation with Tamkeen and the United National Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre, celebrates the10th anniversary of the Bahrain International Garden Show as a landmark exhibition in the region. The theme of the show this year highlights modern technology designed to enhance agriculture in the Kingdom.
The 2014 Show features 130 exhibits, including 20 international and 31 regional companies exhibiting in the 7,500 square metre convention centre.
Other countries featured at the show include the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Egypt, Republic of Iraq, Kingdom of Morocco, Lebanese Republic, Republic of Sudan, Republic of Yemen, Republic of Tunisia, French Republic, Kingdom of Belgium, Kingdom of Spain, State of Japan and the Republic of Uganda.
His Royal Highness also commended the role of BIGS in promoting the application of modern technology to address the challenges in the agricultural sector in Bahrain and meet the needs of modern day animal and vegetable husbandry and harvesting.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka then emphasized the defining role His Majesty King Hamad in has played supporting BIGS over the past 10 years, which has helped the show attract leading international and regional companies.
Her Royal Highness also affirmed that NIAD would continue to develop relationships with leading international companies and public entities in the Kingdom to further drive and develop Bahrain’s agriculture sector.
While visiting different exhibits, His Royal Highness launched a mobile application for the prices of fruits and vegetables in the Kingdom. The application has been developed by the Centre of Mobile Technology at the University of Bahrain in coordination with the Electronic Government Authority (EGA) and designed to transpose database information from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to project the fluctuations in vegetable and fruit prices periodically.
The 2014 Bahrain International Garden Show focuses on the application of modern technology to moderate the growth and harvesting of animal and vegetable products in the Kingdom and integrating that technology with manpower to protect the soil, plants, and animals. Other exhibits at BIGS include agricultural mechanization and cutting-edge methods for crop production and post-harvest marketing.
The BIGS launch was also attended by Bahrain government ministers, business leaders from the Kingdom, and members of the public. During the event, Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka awarded prizes to the winning members of the Bahrain Garden Club and His Royal Highness Prince Salman awarded prizes to the winners in a Ministry of Education competition.