The key to the success of the Kingdom’s efforts directed at agricultural development has been its encouragement of the private sector to build up and establish agricultural companies, whether public corporations or large private limited companies. In the last few years, large public corporations have been established for various agricultural purposes, with capital varying between three hundred and five hundred million Saudi Riyals each. Among these are the following:

• The National Agricultural Development Company (NADEC) is based in Riyadh and has a capital of SR 400 million. The State owns 20% of the company’s share, with the rest owned by 127,000 Saudi shareholders.
• The Eastern Agricultural Development Company (STADCO) is based in Dammam and has a capital of SR 300 million and 30,000 Saudi shareholders.
• The Hail Agricultural Development Company (HADCO) is based in Hail with a capital of SR 300 million and 57,000 Saudi shareholders.
• The Bisha Agricultural Development Company has a capital of SR 500 million.
• The Al Baha Investment and Development Company has a capital of SR 150 million.
• The Saudi Fisheries Company is based in Dammam and has a capital of SR 100 million. The State owns 40% of the company’s shares, with the rest owned by 8,500 Saudi shareholders. It has achieved tangible success in efficiently providing the local market with clean fish and exporting a variety of its produce.
• The Fisheries and Marine Life Company – the Saudi Fisheries Company owns 63% of its capital.

The success of these companies in fulfilling their objectives is evident from the increase in the local agricultural productivity of wheat, fodder and milk, as well as in the processing and packaging of dates, and cattle breeding and fattening. Further evidence of these companies’ dynamism is seen in their future plans for diversification of agricultural production, the development of food industries and the adoption of modern marketing techniques.