The Constituent Assembly of the Saudi aquaculture Society (SAS) held its first meeting

الاستزراع السمكي في السعودية
     Saudi Aquaculture

E.Ahmed Al Ballaa

The Constituent Assembly of the Saudi aquaculture Society (SAS) held its first meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture office in Makkah. This conference invited the willing Saudi youth to join the society and become a member. The goal of this session, for which the registration closed on Friday, 14 September 2012 was to select members for Governing Council.

This Association, a legal entity with financial independence, aims to enhance the aquaculture industry and its products to further develop this sector in the Kingdom, and Jeddah has been assigned as the headquarters of this Assembly. 

The General Assembly of the Saudi aquaculture Society (SAS) was attended by 27 members out of whom ten members represented the Board of Directors as well as the Chairman and his deputy. The supervising committee for assembly elections announced Ahmed Rashid Al Ballaa, as the Chairman of the Assembly and Dina Al Fares as the Vice President, while the rest of the ten members selected were a part of the Board of Directors.

The Assembly will handle the application process of aquaculture industry and its products, and will also propose mechanisms and methods to control through inspection and coordination with the competent authorities to make recommendations on the licensing practice. Further, this body will also highlight the obstacles faced by the aquaculture industry, along with many 

Other tasks that are scheduled to be carried out by the Assembly to enhance the aquaculture sector as an essential pillar of the country's economy. 

According to the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture, the role of the Assembly is to enhance the reproduction and growth of the aquatic organisms such as finfish, crustaceans and shellfish, molluscs and aquatic planktons to achieve economic and environmental returns.

Dina Al Fares

Eng. Ahmed Al-Ballaa, on this momentous occasion said "The idea behind establishing the Saudi aquaculture Society (SAS) began in 1422 AH, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, and in coordination with some aquaculture projects in the Kingdom. The major support was from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz by sponsoring the Jizan Agricultural Forum in the month of Dhul Qi'da 1423, which will support the upcoming Aquaculture industry in advancing the social and economic development of the areas targeted by the Forum plans. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques offered SR3m to support the work of the Assembly in this current financial year." 

Eng. Balla further stressed the importance of precious royal patronage sponsorship of the Jizan Agricultural Forum in activating the process of transforming the aquaculture activity from a traditional farming activity to a developed industrial sophisticated activity model.

It is worth mentioning, that The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz unbolted several aquaculture projects in Al Laith/Jazan region, following this is the recent announcement of Cabinet approval in establishing the Saudi Aquaculture Society. This reflects the vital role that could be played by the aquaculture industry in supporting the growth and expansion plans in the Kingdom. The efforts to establish the Saudi aquaculture Society (SAS) is a decision devised by the Council of Ministers from ministry.