RIYADH: The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones, known as MODON, revealed that in 2022 it signed a number of agreements, worth a total value of SR1.69 billion ($285 million), the Saudi Press Agency reported. The announcement was made during the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai, where the authority outlined recent partnerships aimed at localizing the Kingdom’s food and beverage industry in line with Saudi Vision 2030’s National Industry Strategy. MODON signed a SR50 million agreement with Jordan Valley Food Industries Co. to build a factory in Jeddah’s 2nd Industrial City to produce grains and legumes. In the same industrial city, it also agreed to develop a factory for frozen meat production worth SR140 million with Siniora Food Industries Co. Furthermore, the authority signed an SR375 million contract with the Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Co. to build a 100,000 square meter factory in Sudair Industrial and Business City near Riyadh to produce a variety of food and beverages. MODON also agreed to allocate industrial land in Dammam 2nd Industrial City to produce ketchup, mayonnaise, and other tomato and bread derivatives with the UAE-based IFFCO Group. And recently, MODON partnered with a number of specialized companies to establish advanced food industrial clusters in line with Vision 2030’s National Industrial Development and Logistics Program. These included Brazilian food brand Seara, and Kuwait’s Alshaya Group.