Bahrain’s farm production increases to 13,000 tonnes

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ALMOST 13,000 tonnes of agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables and crops, were produced in farms and greenhouses across Bahrain last year, according to the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry.This represented a 36 per cent increase from 2015, it added in a statement yesterday.During the same period, there was a 49pc increase in the amount of vegetables produced, with it reaching 22.7 tonnes compared to 15.2 tonnes of vegetables in 2015.Fruit production saw an 86.6pc increase, with 2.8 tonnes being produced in 2022 compared to 1.5 tonnes in 2015. The production of dates in the country increased from 13.1 tonnes in 2015 to 13.8 tonnes in 2022, a 5.3pc increase.

This is estimated to be due to the increase in number of greenhouses in Bahrain over the past seven years, with approximately 4,830 greenhouses in 2022, compared to 3,135 in 2015, a 54pc increase.There has also been an increase in the number of workers in the agricultural sector, from 2,643 in 2015 to 4,378 workers in 2022. Of those, an estimated 323 are Bahraini nationals, with the rest being expatriate workers.

The value of agricultural product exports increased to $159 million in 2022 from $49.65m in 2015, an increase of 220pc.Meanwhile, the value of imports increased from $743m in 2015 to $939m in 2022, an increase of 26.3pc.