Food Safety and Security

Given the agricultural challenges faced by the Middle East region, food security is a pressing matter. It is central to sustainable development and growth, and the focus of a national strategy to boost local production and reduce dependence on food imports.

The Ministry of Industry & Commerce and the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture are working in tandem to support the agriculture and fisheries sectors, which are key to developing the nation’s long-term food security. In addition, the government is cooperating with other regional governments to achieve common goals in this area.

As a result of the government’s foresight, Bahrain is among the top 50 most food secure nations in the world.

Among the world’s top 50 most food secure nations

Bahrain is listed among the top 50 most food secure nations, ranking 49^th in the Global Food Security Index 2020. The report, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, ranks 113 countries in food affordability, availability, quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience. Bahrain ranked 35th globally in affordability, 64th in availability, 44th in quality of food and 111th in natural resources and resilience.

99 percent of people in Bahrain have access to drinking water and know how to store food safely. No one in the country is living on or below the global poverty line, which is USD 3.20 per day. Bahrain scored 75.3 out of 100 for food supplies, while the world average was 60.4, and its irrigation infrastructure scored 46.5, well above the global average of 10.6.

National strategy to achieve food security

The Kingdom is drawing up a national strategy for food security with clear deadlines and scope of work. This includes forming a higher national authority for food security, which will consolidate efforts that are currently scattered amongst different jurisdictions.

The proposed strategy recommends introducing unified criteria for licenses within the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry & Commerce until the authority is launched, and allocating a special fund for food security within the national budget.

Among the recommendations included in the strategy are imposing restrictions on excessive imports that compete with local products; encouraging banks to enter as partners or financing food security projects; seeking financial support from international organisations Bahrain belongs to; forging unified deals with other GCC member states on food security; and securing plots in other countries that Bahrainis could invest in for agriculture.

Agriculture and fisheries sectors

Having identified fisheries and agriculture as the key contributors to food security in the Kingdom, the Ministry of Industry & Commerce and the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture unveiled initiatives to develop these two sectors.

Initiatives aimed at developing the agricultural sector include:

• Giving landlords of “white lands” special privileges that include reduced government fees for services to attract investment in farming and agriculture projects
• Proper use of plots registered as endowments
• Providing financing in the form of loans, subsidies, and exemption from tariffs and taxes for agriculture and livestock
• Developing agricultural laboratories to support farmers
• Boosting marketing process for farmers through the permanent farmers’ market in A’ali and the seasonal farmers’ market in Budaiya Botanical Garden

Initiatives aimed at developing the fisheries sector include:

• Inviting private sector investment in fish farming
• Launching a training program in partnership with Tamkeen to train Bahrainis in fish farming
• Allocating multiple sites for fish farming and supporting sustainable fish farming
• Setting up of a new fish farm in the Southern Governorate near the National Aquaculture Centre in Ras Hayyan

Alternative agricultural practices

Alternative agricultural practices such as hydroponic farming and aquaculture have become increasingly popular in the Kingdom. For example, Al Ghalia Farms produces locally grown vegetables in a hydroponic system. Peninsula Farms is a producer of hydroponic vegetables and goat milk.