Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to a new episode of CNBC's Stories, I'm Mai Saeed.
00:09This episode will focus on the most prominent environmental and agricultural phenomena in a number of Arab countries.
00:16As for the second part, we will focus on the first opera in Saudi Arabia. Stay with us.
00:30The Green Gold
00:37The Green Gold is back to support food security in Iraq after two decades of regression.
00:42The country has seen a noticeable increase in the production of agricultural products and export of some of them abroad.
00:48Supported by the modern ways of irrigation that support food security in the country.
00:55The Green Gold is back to support food security in Iraq after two decades of regression.
01:01The country has seen a noticeable increase in the production of agricultural products and export of some of them abroad.
01:08The government's plan to revive the whole sector is not able to support the local product by more than 5%.
01:14It seems partially successful as a result of increasing production rates and opening the export door for some important and high-end products.
01:22A lot of agricultural products in Iraq have been exported abroad.
01:26We have reached the stage of self-sufficiency.
01:28We have overcome this stage in terms of achieving a surplus in time.
01:32Today, 7 or 8 products have been exported and have markets in the Arabian Gulf countries, Turkey and other countries,
01:40such as tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, dates.
01:46The most imported wheat, worth $2 billion annually, reaches self-sufficiency thanks to the cultivation of 5 million tons,
01:53depending on modern irrigation methods such as circular or fixed sprayers,
01:57and for areas that exceed 4 million tons, some of which are in desert areas that have not been planted before.
02:03The cultivation of areas of less than 500,000 tons under circular and fixed irrigation systems.
02:11We have an area of 200,000 tons as a permanent area,
02:14which is probably due to the rain and not due to the rain.
02:17Last year, in the agricultural season of 2022-2023, we produced more than 540,000 tons of wheat.
02:28Reconstruction of desert lands using tap water, this season has succeeded in doubling the production of tomatoes in Basra to the south,
02:35from 203,000 tons last year to 500,000 tons this season.
02:40The province has returned to the leadership of producers and exporters after losing seasons due to lack of water,
02:47transportation difficulties and market disruption.
02:49We have a large area that has entered the agricultural plan, 21,000 tons of tomatoes.
02:56The expected production for this season may reach more than half a million tons.
03:02He covered the local markets in Basra and announced the self-sufficiency of this harvest,
03:07The prices are very reasonable, in addition to the large quantities exported to the northern, southern and central provinces.
03:14The production levels rose by about 13% from last year,
03:18accompanied by additional costs for farmers due to the lack of government support for fertilizers and energy,
03:23which reduced the profit margins by between 20% and 60%.
03:28All these farms were planted in the first season, before the farms existed.
03:33The government did not support us with seeds, fertilizers, fertilizers or fertilizers.
03:40No one helped us with all of this.
03:42We bought this national electricity from Edna.
03:46They did not give us electricity, we bought generators.
03:49The agricultural sector's share in this year's general balance is less than a billion dollars.
03:55This may limit the achieved success and affect the non-repetition of agricultural investments,
04:00in addition to the reduction of commercial recognition of imported agricultural products,
04:04which weakens local market capabilities.
04:06The re-implementation of the sector, which is based on two contracts,
04:09to 5% of the total share in the local product,
04:12is not limited to planting strategic crops,
04:15but also to expand and update production plans,
04:18and develop subsequent industries to ensure the stability of food security in the country.
04:22Raad Nabeer, CNBC Arabia, Baghdad.
04:30Bees are returning to Iraq after the noticeable decline in honey production.
04:35Due to climate changes, the prices of imported products have increased,
04:39which affects the local market.
04:41The presence of wild flowers in the spring season,
04:44in addition to the abundance of rain in the winter season,
04:47supported this industry by a percentage of up to 30% in the central and western countries.
04:52Let's watch.
04:54Bees are spreading again,
04:56to stimulate the production of honey in vast areas of central and western Iraq.
05:00After three years of declining production due to climate changes,
05:04and the expansion of irrigation to about 70% of the country's area.
05:08The abundance of rain in winter increased the green areas by about 30% from last year,
05:13and prompted more than 700 bees to cultivate their activity again,
05:17in an effort to reach the highest level,
05:19which is 2000 bees annually.
05:21The current availability of the plant cover.
05:24The last rainy season will certainly be a temporary positive for this cover,
05:30because this rainy season, according to scientific reports,
05:35is an exceptional case with the expected climate changes in Iraq.
05:42Therefore, it is very important that there are plans to adapt to the expected climate changes,
05:50in the agricultural sector in general, and the beekeeping sector in particular.
05:55The abundance of wild flowers during the spring season,
05:58guarantees a high production quality,
06:00with quantities up to 40 kg per cell,
06:03unlike dry seasons, where production is about 80%.
06:07As for the types of honey,
06:09there are more than 10 types, depending on the presence of important trees,
06:12such as calyptos, cedar, and pomegranate,
06:15in addition to flowers and some seasonal plants.
06:18The presence of modern and advanced devices from international companies,
06:22helps and speeds up the test process of honey,
06:26and reveals whether the specifications of this honey sample
06:31match the international specifications or not.
06:34Rain cover until early April of this year,
06:37is the peak of this industry in western Iraq.
06:40300 bees are targeted today to achieve a production rate of up to 100 tons,
06:45if they are lucky enough to succeed in marketing and facing imported honey from Iran and Turkey,
06:50with prices 60% lower than local products.
06:53The marketing process is very weak,
06:56so there is no economic return,
06:58so the bees have to leave the factory or reduce the number of cells.
07:01If you look at this honey sample,
07:03you will see that we are getting low-quality trees,
07:08and planting them in the honey sample.
07:10It is costly for us.
07:11There is no economic return at the moment,
07:13even after 4 or 5 years.
07:15You have to plant honey.
07:17According to the Ministry of Water Resources,
07:19the rain contributed to the addition of 5 billion cubic meters to the water reserve,
07:23which keeps Iraq away from the risk of drought during the summer,
07:26and avoids beekeepers the risk of moving to green alternatives
07:29to ensure a better environment for beekeeping and honey production.
07:33The honey industry, which suffers from a decline in production from 1,500 tons per year to half the amount,
07:38is now equipped with rain for temporary survival
07:41and a small profit guarantee in the shadow of the absence of flowering forests
07:44and the restrictions on the transportation of bees,
07:46in addition to a weakening of the confrontation with imported honey.
07:49Our host in CNBC Arabic, the province of Niger.
07:53Egypt
07:56We remain in the field of agriculture, but in Egypt.
07:59With the arrival of the spring season, the golden bells are ringing.
08:02The season of harvesting and importing of wheat has started in Egypt,
08:05in areas that exceed 3.5 million hectares,
08:09with hopes of reaching 10 million tons.
08:13However, the increase in the price of honey and the increase in the cost of seeds
08:17led to a decrease in profit margins for farmers.
08:20Let's watch the details together.
08:24With the arrival of the spring season, the sun of hope shines on the green fields of Egypt,
08:28which are filled with golden bells,
08:31as the season of harvesting wheat is approaching.
08:33This is the strategic harvest,
08:35planted in areas that exceed 3.5 million hectares,
08:39in the province of Egypt.
08:41With expected productivity, it will reach 10 million tons.
08:45Government measures are being taken to increase the areas planted
08:48in an attempt to reduce wheat imports,
08:51as Egypt's annual consumption increases by more than 20 million tons,
08:55most of which are spent on livestock.
08:58This year, the current currency has helped us to have a good harvest season.
09:02This year's area, thank God, did not decrease from last year.
09:05It exceeds 3.2 million hectares.
09:07But, God willing, the production will increase.
09:09The state has supported the farmer before planting,
09:12with supported prices.
09:14The cost of providing the place for planting and harvesting, as we can see,
09:18has increased significantly.
09:20All year long, we say to the farmer,
09:22we will support you with everything we have,
09:24but, God willing, at the end of the year,
09:26you will be subject to bankruptcy.
09:28And also, God willing, the political leadership
09:30has taken great care to raise the price of the farmer's imports.
09:33This is very, very important.
09:35Last year, it was 1,600 pounds.
09:37This year, it is 2,000 pounds.
09:39The Egyptian government aims to import 83.5 million tons of local wheat
09:43during the current season,
09:45where it has decided to increase the import price of wheat
09:47to reach 2,000 pounds,
09:49in addition to the attempts of the agricultural sector
09:51and the construction of farms to reduce the loss.
09:54However, the price of spending
09:56and the increase in the prices of seeds and fertilizers
09:58have increased the costs of wheat planting
10:00and have limited the profits of the farmers.
10:03These things, but also, the cost is high.
10:07In fact, the price of wheat planting
10:09was between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds,
10:13in order to cover the costs.
10:15In addition to this, the price of salt and fertilizers is high.
10:18I used to buy fertilizers for 30 pounds,
10:21then 200 pounds, then 180 pounds.
10:23The costs of wheat are high.
10:27The cost of fertilizers,
10:29the cost of wheat,
10:31the cost of salt,
10:33the cost of fertilizers,
10:35are all high.
10:37They cost a lot.
10:39But we ask God to give us what we need.
10:43We have to take care of the land,
10:45we have to study the land,
10:47we have to do everything with the land
10:49and with the money.
10:51Today, 2,000 pounds is not enough.
10:53Egypt is the largest wheat producer in the world.
10:56Most of it comes from Russia and Ukraine,
10:58despite relying on more than 22 provinces.
11:01The joy of harvest and the good news
11:03and good news in the fields of gold wheat
11:06on the challenges that the farmers face
11:09as well as after the release of the exchange rate
11:11and its high cost
11:13while the Egyptian government on the other hand
11:16is trying to motivate the farmers to increase production
11:19and limit imports
11:20that is the strategic objective
11:22Farouk Youssef, CNBC Arabia, Cairo
11:25Let's go to the third largest solar power plant in the world
11:35which is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia
11:38with an area of 250 hectares
11:42It is the Shirata plant in Indonesia
11:45Let's watch
11:55Shirata is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:00It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:04It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:08It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:12It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:16It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:20It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:23It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:26It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:29It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:32It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:35It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:38It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:41It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:44It is the largest solar power plant in the world
12:48Doctors and students of Saudi Arabia
13:09CNBC continues our story
13:12and we watch some of the break.
13:13Saudi Arabia is witnessing the launch of the first opera in the country
13:16and the largest of its kind in the Arabic language.
13:19Stay with us.
13:27Investment in the Saudi special sector
13:30from the modern directions that the Kingdom is working on
13:33to develop and develop it
13:35with the arrival of the number of visitors to the Kingdom
13:37to more than 100 million visitors last year.
13:40Companies and the private sector play a key role
13:44in developing this sector in the Saudi economy
13:46by providing a lot of products, hotels
13:49and attractive places for tourists.
13:52Stay with us.
13:54Tourism is one of the main sectors
13:56that Saudi Arabia is striving to develop.
13:59It is working to increase the contribution of the tourism sector
14:02in the overall local product
14:04by more than 10% by the year 2030.
14:07The investment of the private sector
14:09is one of the main engines for tourism.
14:12Here, the role of the Tourism Development Fund is prominent
14:16which contributed to the establishment of more than 100 tourism projects
14:20which is more than 40 billion Riyals
14:23since the launch of the fund in the year 2020.
14:26The existence of the Tourism Development Fund today
14:28to support the private sector
14:30to invest in this sector.
14:32The support is for large projects
14:34in addition to small and medium-sized projects.
14:37If we talk about the projects that have been supported to this day
14:40we are talking about a total value
14:43of more than 40 billion Riyals
14:46in all areas of the Kingdom.
14:48As we said, it focuses on small and medium-sized projects.
14:52Today, the fund leads several initiatives
14:55and several programs.
14:57The main goal is to support the investor
14:59in the private sector to enter this field.
15:01Companies and the private sector play a major role
15:04in Saudi tourism investment
15:06especially in the provision of resorts, hotels
15:09and tourist attractions.
15:11We are targeting most of the promised areas in the Kingdom.
15:17Of course, the size of the investment in these areas
15:20depends, first of all, on the size of the space
15:24but usually it is between 200 million and 500 million
15:29for each city we target.
15:31And the number of cities
15:34We are talking about all the promised cities
15:36and we still have a long way to go.
15:39Today, we see Taif as a new investment
15:42also in Taif.
15:44There is something I would like to share with you.
15:47Our profits on one hotel room have reached 8%
15:50which is the best performance in the sector.
15:53As for Saudi Arabia and the Middle East
15:55our profits on one hotel room have reached 15%.
15:59There is a great ability to develop business
16:02and we invest resources on the ground in order to develop it.
16:07The Saudi tourism sector was in decline last year
16:10due to the increase in the number of visitors
16:13who reached 100 million visitors.
16:17So, the Kingdom is making more investments in the tourism sector
16:21and encouraging the private sector
16:23to reach 150 million visitors
16:26and provide 1.6 million jobs
16:30By the year 2030
16:32Atallah Alshamri, CNBC Arabia, Riyadh
16:42Zarka Al Yamama
16:43The first opera in Saudi Arabia
16:45and the biggest in Arabic
16:47where Saudi Arabia tries to enhance the role of art in the country's economy
16:50and the opera is inspired by the story of Zarka Al Yamama
16:54a story that Saudi Arabia has known for a long time.
16:58Let's follow the opera in this report.
17:03The opera is a song or a play
17:06that represents one of the forms of the opera.
17:09In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Opera and Performing Arts
17:13recently launched the Zarka Al Yamama opera
17:16as the first Saudi opera
17:18and the biggest opera in Arabic
17:21to be the beginning of an art
17:23that tries to benefit from the great Saudi heritage.
17:26The Zarka Al Yamama opera
17:28is an interesting and important subject
17:30for many people to learn about
17:32and we also want the world
17:34to learn about our history
17:36the history of the Arab civilization
17:38We are keen to acquire
17:40the best experiences in the world
17:42We have created a team
17:44that does not belong
17:46to a well-known international opera company
17:48such as the International Opera House
17:50which is usually in charge of production
17:52We are keen to produce
17:55and manage the whole of Saudi Arabia
17:57Zarka Al Yamama was a woman
17:59who belonged to Jadis
18:01and had a strong vision
18:03and always warned her people
18:05about any enemy
18:07especially the Tasm tribe
18:09At the same time,
18:11the people of Zarka Al Yamama
18:13did not listen to her advice
18:15so Tasm invaded them
18:17which made this story
18:19to remain in the stories of the Arabian Peninsula
18:21which Saudi Arabia now represents
18:23I am very excited
18:25to be here
18:27especially the orchestra
18:29which is composed of musicians
18:31from all over Europe
18:33not only from Germany
18:35and they have a lot of experience
18:37in opera
18:39so it is wonderful
18:41to bring this kind of art
18:43to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
18:45for the first time
18:47and it is wonderful
18:49to see a new opera
18:52So Zarka Al Yamama
18:54is the first Saudi opera
18:56trying to take her story
18:58out of history
19:00and make it into an opera
19:02This is Al Shamri from CNBC Arabia
19:04Riyadh
19:10In the UAE
19:12the demand for gold is still there
19:14despite the high prices
19:16where the merchants of CNBC Arabia
19:18said that despite the high prices
19:21the prices are still high
19:23but the expectations
19:25indicate more demand
19:27for this yellow metal
19:29which is a safe haven for investment
19:31and saving
19:33We continue
19:35Between the rising prices
19:37since the beginning of the year
19:39and the merchants are waiting
19:41for the prices to go down
19:43to buy again
19:45the UAE gold markets
19:47are still keeping their pace
19:49despite the small currencies
19:51and the medium size
19:55Contrary to what is expected
19:57when the price of gold goes up
19:59the demand for gold in the UAE
20:01increased in the last few weeks
20:03and after a calm and stable situation
20:05in the last month of Ramadan
20:07despite the economic changes
20:09and the geopolitical crises
20:11which are worldwide
20:13the yellow metal is still
20:15in the list of the best safe havens
20:18and a welcome for tourists
20:20and visitors of the country
20:24I think it's smart to invest in gold now
20:26and of course the prices
20:28will continue to rise
20:32Maybe it's better than Bitcoin
20:34I will think about buying
20:36when I cross the other side
20:38to the gold market in Dubai
20:40According to some merchants
20:42the expectations are that
20:44the price of one ounce
20:46of gold will rise to $2,500
20:48in the coming months
20:50while others say
20:52that it's hard to predict
20:54the changes in prices
20:56and between this and that
20:58the store is making plans
21:00to attract more customers
21:02and keep up with their sales
21:04by offering new offers
21:06and innovative ways of payment
21:08Actually the market is going high
21:10but we are still receiving
21:12customers in a good way
21:15and we are trying to fix
21:17the price of buying
21:19for a month
21:21if 10% is paid in advance
21:23and we are also offering
21:25a new group of offers
21:27and we are trying to manage
21:29and deal with the rising prices
21:31Foreign tourists love
21:33the small piece of gold
21:35but the Indians
21:37love the big diamond
21:39or the gold
21:41which is very expensive
21:44For example the Kolkata design
21:46which requires a lot of manufacturing
21:48because it's handmade
21:50so the Indians
21:52and some Chinese
21:54go there
21:56It is reported that
21:58the Central Emirates'
22:00gold exchange rate has dropped
22:02by more than 1%
22:04at the end of last January
22:06to about $17.921 billion
22:08compared to
22:10about $18.147 billion
22:12in December 2023
22:14But this is a record
22:16which has shown a noticeable growth
22:18over the past few years
22:20to about $1.134 billion
22:22at the end of 2018
22:24For CNBC Arabia
22:26Nada Abdelsalam
22:28Dubai
22:30Speaking of precious metals
22:32Mining played a major role
22:34in the advancement of technology
22:36and human development
22:38and today the most important metals
22:41play a major role
22:43in the transformation of energy
22:45and the transition to a sustainable future
22:47This has doubled the demand for metals
22:49in the last five years
23:11The world is changing
23:13and the world is changing
23:15and the world is changing
23:17and the world is changing
23:19and the world is changing
23:21and the world is changing
23:23and the world is changing
23:25and the world is changing
23:27and the world is changing
23:29and the world is changing
23:31and the world is changing
23:33and the world is changing
23:35and the world is changing
23:37and the world is changing
23:39and the world is changing
23:46and the world is changing
23:54and the world is changing
23:58This was the end of today's episode
24:00Stay tuned for the next episode
24:02of CNBC Stories
24:04See you next time
24:09you