RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is helping New Zealand achieve its net-zero commitment by offering low-carbon urea, a fertilizer that contributes to sustainable agriculture. SABIC Agri-Nutrients Co. offloaded its first-ever global shipment of 2,700 tons of low-carbon urea last Friday to Ravensdown, a farmer-owned agricultural cooperative in New Zealand, it said in a press release. The low-carbon urea is produced using ammonia, which emits minimal carbon dioxide into the environment. The company recently achieved the world’s first independent certification for low-carbon ammonia production. This development is part of Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a world leader in clean energy and agriculture. The Kingdom is working on creating alliances with companies worldwide to assist them in meeting their sustainability ambitions. “Sustainability is integrated into our strategy, enabling us to deliver responsible business and generate sustainable growth. We are constantly developing solutions empowering our customers to achieve their sustainability ambitions,” said SABIC AN CEO Abdulrahman Shamsaddin in a statement. He added: “Our collaboration with Ravensdown is a major step in this direction and a strong indicator of SABIC’s overall commitment to delivering low-carbon solutions to customers and helping them achieve their net-zero targets.” Saudi Arabia has partnered with New Zealand on this project and is already leading the way in producing and exporting clean hydrogen and its derivatives, such as ammonia. “This collaboration with SABIC AN is key to ensuring we meet our commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030,” said Ravensdown CEO Garry Diack in the statement. Diack added: “SABIC AN’s innovative manufacturing techniques for urea production have the potential to be game-changing for the global fertilizer industry.” In May, SABIC AN, 50.1 percent owned by Saudi Basic Industries Corp., exported its first shipment of low-carbon ammonia to India. The company shipped 5,000 tons of low-carbon ammonia to Asia’s second-largest economy as part of its long-term collaboration with the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative. India has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2070, and the government is increasing its renewable energy consumption through various initiatives and programs. Shamsaddin said that the first shipment of low-carbon ammonia will catalyze India’s journey to achieve its net-zero targets.