RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s mango production increased to 88,600 tons annually reaching 60 percent self-sufficiency in line with Vision 2030 objectives. The Kingdom has been cultivating the mango fruit crop to increase production by planting an area of more than 6,880 hectares. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has been keen to increase the production of mangoes, achieve food security and raise the rate of cultivation as part of its strategy to achieve the goals of Vision 2030. The ministry also stated that tropical fruit crops like mango have high economic returns to the Kingdom. The seasonal fruit crop grows across multiple fields in the Kingdom with the most notable being in the Jizan region in Sabya, Abu Arish, Al Darb, Samtah, and Baish governorates as well as in Al Qunfadhah governorate in Makkah region. Mangoes are also grown in the Al-Bahah region in Al-Makhwah and Qilwa cities, in addition to Asir, Najran, Madinah, and the Eastern region. The ministry stated that the mango production season extends from April to August and that the Kingdom produces over 20 varieties of mangoes during this period including Awais, Sukkari and Tommy Atkins. In 2005, the Kingdom had around 250,000 mango trees producing just over 18,000 tons per year, according to a report by the Saudi Press Agency. Moreover, the number of mango farms in 2022 exceeded 19,100 with one million mango trees and over 65,000 tons of annual production. Al-Qunfadhah has over 2,700 farms with a total of 400,000 trees and annual yields exceeding 40,000 tons. Sabya is home to one of the country’s largest farms, with more than 30,000 trees and an annual production of more than 600 tons. The Kingdom’s agriculture sector witnessed massive improvements since King Salman inaugurated the Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program in 2019. The program set objectives to boost the production, processing and marketing of fruit, fish, livestock, Arabic coffee and rain-fed crops.