Establishment of the largest rainbow trout farming project in Saudi Arabia in the Hail region – Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, Emir of Hail Region, today inaugurated the Salmon Production Center in Hail, affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, represented by the “National Program for the Development of the Livestock and Fisheries Sector,” in partnership with King Abdulaziz University, and the presence of the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Mansour Al-Mushaiti, and the President of King Abdulaziz University, Dr. Tarif Al-Aama.
The project is located in the Al-Qaed area in Hail, covering an area of 10,000 square meters, of which 4,352 square meters is the area of the hatchery and fish farm building, and 1,000 square meters is the area of the aquaponics unit. The project is a starting point towards establishing a city for sustainable food production while enhancing the role of the private sector in investing in projects with high added value, making the Hail region a model to be emulated in sustainable development and food security, expanding future horizons for private sector investments in the fisheries and agricultural sector in the Kingdom, and reducing the total annual import of salmon, which currently stands at 23,000 tons annually.
The project consists of a mother-care unit, a hatchery and broodstock unit, a larval incubation unit, a rearing and growth unit, an aquaponics unit, water recycling systems, a fish health laboratory, water generators, and pumps, a control and monitoring room, an administration room, and logistical support. It was completed in collaboration with local and international experts to ensure the highest standards of quality and operational efficiency with a focus on sustainability.
The project aims to enhance food security in the Kingdom, support applied research to develop the inland aquaculture sector, improve productivity and enhance sustainability, achieve the strategy of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to achieve sustainable development, and support the goals of Vision 2030 to increase local fish production, by relying on advanced technologies in closed systems, recycling, and reusing water efficiently and integrating with the aquaponics unit. The project focuses on developing national cadres specialized in the field of inland aquaculture and supporting fish farming projects at the Kingdom level.
The project’s production capacity is 100,000 tons per year.
It includes a hatchery with an annual production of 5 million baby salmon to support local production to reach 10,000 tons per year and meet the needs of local projects. A typical production unit for commercial-sized fish with a production capacity of 100 tons per year, and an aquaculture unit with a production capacity of 10 tons per year of fruit plants and vegetables in the first phase. In the second phase, the production will be expanded to 30 tons per year to support local production to reach 10,000 tons per year, while the fixed cost of production is $17 per kilogram. The operating cost is $7.5 per kilogram.
Establishment of the largest rainbow trout farming project in Saudi Arabia in the Hail region
