The $12 million Bahrain Agricultural Foods Storage and Security (Bafco) factory, located in Hidd, which specialises in producing and distributing food grains locally and exporting them internationally, has been inaugurated.

 

Opening the new unit at the Bahrain Business Incubator Centre (BBIC), Bahrain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, stressed the importance of integrated efforts to achieve sustainable food security through effective partnerships with the private sector so that local markets are supplied, a Bahrain News Agency (BNA) report said.

 

The efforts are in line with the objectives of the comprehensive development process, initiated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the priorities and policies of the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, Shaikh Khalid said in the presence of the Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Ahmed bin Salman Al-Musallam, ministers and officials.

 

Private sector

The Deputy Premier affirmed the government's commitment to implementing policies aimed at increasing the levels of food security, diversifying and sustaining the supply chains, upgrading the national capabilities in food industries and investing in them, as well as providing the necessary support for food security projects and stimulating the private sector to contribute to them.

 

Shaikh Khalid toured the factory and praised the advanced techniques and modern technology used across various production stages.

 

Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber for Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Sameer Abdulla Nass, asserted that among the priorities of BCCI's 30th session is to achieve the vision of the kingdom with regard to reaching food security, facing the challenges the world is witnessing in securing food and supply chains, and ensuring the flow of food by pumping more investments into the food industry sector.

 

Food security projects

He affirmed BCCI's support for the efforts of Bafco, in particular, and the private sector, in general, to boost investments in food security projects.

 

Bafco Board of Directors Chairman, Khalid Ali Al-Ameen, said the food challenges faced by the world recently confirm the importance of maintaining food supplies around the world while preserving the security of food supply chains.

 

He added that the food industry today requires developing solutions to secure food at the local and regional levels. He asserted that the factory will generate multiple investment opportunities, which will reflect positively on the kingdom's sustainable economic development.-- TradeArabia News Service