Saudi, Dutch deal to enhance farm services
The agreement aims to strengthen collaboration in the agricultural sector by transferring best practices and advanced expertise, enhancing operational efficiency and improving services for farmers and agricultural establishments across Saudi Arabia.
It was signed by Omar Alsuhaibani, CEO of AgriServ, and Jacco van der Wekken, CEO of Delphy, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The partnership will focus on improving services in the Kingdom's agricultural sector, including cooperation on certification, specialized training programs, and technical consultations for farmers and agricultural projects.
AgriServ is a government entity established by Cabinet decision and is tasked with providing agricultural services assigned by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
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Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Why food security in the Middle East is slipping even as global numbers improve
DUBAI: Global hunger edged down last year, but not in the Middle East. That divergence — driven by conflict, inflation, currency stress, and a heavy reliance on imports — is reshaping food security across Western Asia and North Africa, even as other regions recover. According to 'The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World' report published recently by five UN agencies, 8.2 percent of the global population experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 percent in 2023. But the headline hides widening regional gaps. In Africa, more than 20 percent of people — 307 million — faced hunger in 2024. In Western Asia, which includes several Middle Eastern countries, 12.7 percent of the population, or more than 39 million people, were affected. The contrast with other parts of Asia is striking. 'Improvements in South-Eastern and Southern Asia were largely driven by economic recovery, better affordability of healthy diets, and stronger social protection systems,' David Laborde, director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, told Arab News. That rebound has not reached the Middle East evenly. He noted that while 'high income countries' like the UAE or Saudi Arabia are exempt from any major food insecurities, 'the rest of the region and particularly conflict-affected countries (like Lebanon and Syria) are contributors to the rising hunger trend due to displacement, disrupted supply chains, and economic vulnerability.' Nowhere is the food crisis more acute than Gaza, where war has devastated basic systems. A recent assessment by FAO and the UN Satellite Centre found that only 1.5 percent of cropland is currently available for cultivation, down from 4.6 percent in April 2025. Put differently, 98.5 percent of cropland is damaged, inaccessible, or both — a staggering figure in a territory of more than 2 million people. The data, published in July, landed amid warnings from UN agencies of an impending famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported that two of the three official indicators used to determine famine conditions were present in parts of the strip. FAO, the World Food Programme, and UNICEF have cautioned that time is rapidly running out to mount a full-scale response, as nearly a quarter of Gaza's population is enduring famine-like conditions, while the remainder face emergency levels of hunger. The report does not break down the impact of individual conflicts, but Laborde is blunt about the drivers. Conditions are getting worse because of 'persistent structural vulnerabilities, which include conflict, economic instability, and limited access to affordable food.' He added: 'This region has seen a continued rise in hunger, with the prevalence of undernourishment increasing to 12.7 in 2024, up from previous years.' Those structural weaknesses — exposure to war, import dependence, currency fragility — collided with a series of global shocks. The report cites the COVID‑19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine as major triggers of global food commodity price spikes in 2021-22. Some pressures have eased, but inflation's aftershocks persist, especially where budgets and safety nets are already thin. According to Laborde, the countries struggling most are those where 'real wages have declined the most, food price inflation has surged, and access to healthy diets have deteriorated.' He added: 'Low-income and lower-middle-income countries, many of which are in the MENA region, have experienced food price inflation above 10 percent, which is strongly associated with rising food insecurity and child malnutrition.' For Middle Eastern economies that import a large share of their food, price spikes hit with particular force. Beyond war and pandemic disruptions, Laborde points to 'climate shocks in key bread baskets have led to higher food prices. 'For countries that were able to compensate for this food price increase through higher revenue from energy product sales, also impacted by the same crisis, the blow was limited. 'However, for the countries with more limited revenue' from exports of oil and natural gas, 'the situation was more difficult to handle.' If the region's import bill is the first vulnerability, exchange rates are the second. The report highlights exchange-rate fluctuations and local currency depreciation as critical, non‑commodity drivers of food inflation. This is especially relevant for 'import-dependent economies (such as Western Asia) where a weaker local currency increases the cost of imported food and agricultural inputs,' said Laborde. 'When local currencies depreciate, the cost of these imports rises, directly affecting consumer prices and worsening food insecurity.' Egypt offers a case study. Heavy reliance on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine, combined with a severe foreign currency shortage, has driven food prices far beyond wage growth since mid‑2022. In practical terms, 'a shortage of foreign currency has made it more difficult to pay for imports, leading to higher import costs in local currency terms, rising consumer food prices, and reduced affordability of healthy diets for households,' Laborde said. The result: Egyptians' food purchasing power fell by 30 percent between the third quarter of 2022 and the last quarter of 2024. Similar pressures are visible elsewhere. Syria, Yemen, and Iraq have recorded significant declines in real food wages since 2020, with unskilled wages still below early‑2020 levels — a reflection of persistent instability and the difficulty of rebuilding labor markets amid conflict. Even when global prices cool, the Middle East does not always feel the relief. The region's supply chains remain vulnerable to disrupted trade routes, heightened uncertainty in grain markets linked to the war in Ukraine, and hostilities in the Red Sea. For countries like Egypt, these pressures feed directly into the food import bill, particularly for wheat — a staple with no easy substitute. In an import‑dependent context, each additional week of shipping delays, insurance surcharges, or currency slippage translates into higher prices for bread, cooking oil, and other essentials. The report also flags a quieter, but consequential, problem: market power. In theory, competitive markets transmit falling global prices quickly to consumers. In practice, market power — the ability of firms to influence prices or supply — can mute or delay those benefits. Since 2022, many low- and lower‑middle‑income countries have experienced persistent inflation even as world prices cooled, suggesting domestic frictions at play. These 'distortions have been observed since 2022' and are 'especially relevant in import-dependent regions like Western Asia and North Africa, where currency depreciation, limited competition, and supply chain bottlenecks can further entrench inflation,' Laborde said. Beyond statistics, the social toll is mounting. Rising food prices hit the poorest households first, forcing trade‑offs between calories and quality — cheaper, less nutritious staples displacing diverse diets rich in protein and micronutrients. That is why sustained double‑digit food inflation correlates with child malnutrition and worsens long‑term health outcomes, from anemia to stunting. The consequences can also be gendered. In many Middle Eastern and North African contexts, women — who often manage household food budgets — absorb inflation by skipping meals or cutting their own portions to feed children. When real wages drop and informal work dries up, coping strategies erode quickly. All of this threatens the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially its aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. With the deadline fast approaching, Laborde urges governments to 'stabilize food prices and protect vulnerable populations' by prioritizing 'integrated fiscal and trade policy reforms,' delivered through 'time-bound, targeted fiscal measures.' These include 'temporary tax relief on essential foods, scaled-up social protection (e.g. cash transfers) indexed to inflation and ensuring benefits reach consumers through transparent monitoring.'
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Tech leaders should focus on job creation, not displacement
When ChatGPT stormed onto the scene in late 2022, the alarm bells rang loud. Philosophers and futurists demanded new rules to prevent humanity from sliding into chaos, wars and disorder. Since then, a string of large language models and apps — Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, Meta AI — have caused fresh anxieties. Two years on, true artificial general intelligence is still a distant goal but the mixed results of widespread adoption of AI are already plain to see. Change that was happening gradually is now happening swiftly. As veteran Wall Street Journal commentator Peggy Noonan wrote in a recent column, 'The story is no longer 'AI in coming decades will take a lot of jobs' or 'AI will take jobs sooner than we think.' It is 'AI is here and a quiet havoc has begun.' Yet, for America's AI titans, the motivation today seems less about building tools that create new jobs and more about accelerating human displacement while envisioning a vast social safety net as compensation. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal titled 'What Musk, Altman and Others Say About AI-Funded 'Universal Basic Income'' stated: 'Suddenly, an idea once seen as a socialist policy that would reward idleness is one of the AI boom's hottest acronyms.' According to the article, the consensus in Silicon Valley is that automation driven by AI is going to replace a lot of factory jobs and white-collar roles while generating billions in profits for AI companies. What tech leaders and gurus seem divided over is whether AI-funded universal basic income is the answer to the challenge of mass unemployment. Of course, as the popular 1956 Doris Day song 'Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)' reminds us: 'The future's not ours to see … what will be, will be.' Perhaps there is no need to worry excessively, as many a bleak prophecy in the past (for example, 'The Population Bomb,' a book by Paul R. Ehrlich about the looming danger of overpopulation) failed to come to pass. High-quality jobs give young people a reason to get up in the morning, a sense of fulfillment and a feeling of progress in their lives. We risk losing the essence of this in an idle society with universal basic income. Arnab Neil Sengupta Perhaps the 'quiet havoc' of which Noonan spoke is a temporary phenomenon and US employment numbers will pick up, similar to the way in which the development of mainframe computers in the 1950s created entirely new occupations. In any case, AI tycoons such as Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Marc Benioff ought to be thinking of ways in which AI can be used to create plentiful, professionally rewarding jobs instead of touting the introduction of universal basic income as inevitable. Not only would such income for Americans made redundant by AI be of little use to the rest of the world, it could be a recipe for trouble in the long term. Jobs do not just pay wages, as the Silicon Valley titans surely know. Jobs circulate money throughout the economy, creating demand for goods and services, generating tax revenues and nurturing communities. A purely passive income scheme will not generate the same level of productive economic activity. For many people, especially young adults, meaningful work is a core part of their identity. For young people in the Arab world, it is not an exaggeration to say a job equals purpose, self-worth and hope. Employment in challenging roles builds skills, creativity and problem-solving capacities that are essential for adapting to future changes. High-quality jobs in particular give educated young people a sense of fulfillment and progress in their lives. This satisfaction would be at risk of being lost in an idle society. The workplace is a powerful training ground. Before the advent of remote working, conversation and competition made busy offices incubators of great ideas. In his memoir 'City Room,' Arthur Gelb, the late American journalist, described the New York Times newsroom of the 1940s this way: 'There was an overwhelming sense of purpose, fire and life: the clacking rhythm of typewriters, the throbbing of great machines in the composing room on the floor above, reporters shouting for copy boys to pick up their stories.' Employment creates networks, encourages teamwork and accountability, and strengthens civic engagement. On the other hand, large-scale joblessness, especially among young people, produces social drift, weakens bonds, increases division, feeds unrest and erodes hope. AI tycoons such as Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Marc Benioff ought to be thinking of ways in which AI can be used to generate plentiful, professionally rewarding jobs instead of touting the introduction of universal basic income as inevitable. Arnab Neil Sengupta No matter what term tech tycoons choose to apply to it — 'universal extreme wealth,' 'universal high income' or 'universal basic income' — the dangers of financially rewarding idleness can scarcely be overstated. In addition to the erosion of motivation and the work ethic, a guaranteed income without the expectation of contribution might lead to disconnection from skills-building and long-term planning. There is also the risk of social fragmentation and alienation. Without shared daily activities like work, people living off AI profits could become more isolated, lose touch with community norms, and fall into destructive habits or radicalized echo chambers. None of this is an argument for a Luddite agenda resisting the adoption of a technology whose time has come. Even California socialists do not advocate turning back the clock — although, ultimately, robots rather than American workers might end up doing the heavy lifting of President Trump's planned manufacturing renaissance. If the technological displacement of human workers proves unstoppable, the pace and scale of AI-driven automation will undoubtedly make job creation in some sectors unviable. A universal basic income could at least ensure that people's basic needs are met in a fully automated economy. A guaranteed supplemental income could also reduce some of the economic insecurity and stress. It could provide a safety net that allows people to take entrepreneurial risks, retrain or transition to new industries without fear of destitution, potentially prompting innovation from the ground up. In theory, the recipients of universal basic income would have the freedom to pursue non-market value creation. Thus, with their basic needs covered, people could focus on care-giving, volunteering, education, the creative arts or environmental projects that existing markets do not adequately reward, even though the wider society still benefits from them. If the pros and cons of an AI-funded 'universal high income' make it sound like a quixotic experiment in wealth generation — lowering costs for companies and then handing out part of the profits in a post-work future — that is because it indeed would be if tried. Job-loss fears are real, but the remedy should not be worse than the disease. Ultimately, the responsibility of tech leaders is not to make mass idleness the new normal, but to harness AI in ways that expand human opportunity. • Arnab Neil Sengupta is a senior editor at Arab News.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
MENA startup funding rises 1,411% mom to $783m
RIYADH: Startup investment across the Middle East and North Africa accelerated sharply in July, with total funding reaching $783 million across 57 deals. The rise marks a 1,411 percent increase from June and more than double the amount raised in July 2024, positioning the third quarter of 2025 for robust regional growth, according to Wamda's monthly report. The increase was driven primarily by two megadeals, highlighting sustained investor appetite for later-stage, high-growth opportunities. Saudi Arabia led regional funding activity, securing $396.5 million across 16 deals, while the UAE followed with $359 million raised in 22 startups. The Kingdom's performance was boosted by three major rounds, including Q-commerce platform Ninja's $250 million raise led by Riyad Capital, propelling it to unicorn status, foodtech startup Calo's $39 million series B extension, and SaaS provider Lucidya's $30 million series B. The funding landscape saw notable shifts among emerging ecosystems. Iraq claimed third place with a single $15 million transaction for InstaBank, moving ahead of the traditional heavyweight Egypt. Morocco followed in fourth, propelled by Ora Technologies' $7.5 million round. Egypt, once consistently in the top three, dropped to fifth place, recording just $4 million in funding across seven startups. Analysts cite macroeconomic headwinds, including currency instability, as contributing factors to Egypt's diminished share. By sector, deeptech overtook fintech for the first time in several months, drawing $250.3 million from four deals. E-commerce matched deeptech in total funding, also raising $250 million, driven by Ninja's record-setting round. Software-as-a-service startups came third, attracting $89 million across 12 deals, while fintech dropped to fourth, with $61 million raised in 11 transactions. 'The shift reflects a growing appetite for IP-heavy, innovation-led ventures and scalable consumer platforms, even as fintech funding cools,' the report stated. Two megadeals — Ninja and XPANCEO — accounted for 56 percent of total funding in July, skewing the overall numbers toward large-scale capital deployments. Series A rounds were notably strong, raising $267 million across three startups. Later-stage deals accounted for $158 million, while 26 early-stage companies raised a combined $36 million. Debt financing represented only 2 percent of the total, reaffirming the continued dominance of equity-based funding in the region. Our vision is to make high-impact technology radically accessible for agents everywhere. Fouad Bekkar, founder and CEO of The investment landscape also saw renewed interest in consumer-focused business models. Business-to-consumer startups captured $534 million in funding, reversing a trend from earlier this year when enterprise solutions and B2B ventures attracted more capital. Business-to-business startups raised $202.4 million across 32 deals, with the remainder distributed among direct-to-consumer and hybrid models. However, the gender gap in venture funding persisted. Startups led exclusively by male founders raised $774.5 million across 43 deals. Mixed-gender founding teams secured $5.8 million, while female-led ventures attracted just $3 million from eight deals. Despite increased visibility of women in entrepreneurship, funding distributions remain uneven, suggesting that systemic barriers continue to limit capital access for women-led startups. With seven months remaining in the calendar year, MENA startup funding has already surpassed the full-year total for 2024. The momentum reflects the region's ongoing transition from nascent to mature innovation ecosystems, with capital flows expanding beyond traditional markets into emerging hubs. The sustained activity signals confidence from global and regional investors alike. 'With Saudi Arabia and the UAE drawing record-breaking rounds, and emerging markets like Iraq and Morocco making surprise appearances in the top rankings, investor interest is diversifying beyond traditional hubs,' the report added. raises $2m pre-seed round A proptech company focused on streamlining lead generation and conversion for real estate professionals, has raised $2 million in a pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by Salica Oryx Fund, managed by Salica Investments and based in Abu Dhabi Global Market, with participation from EQ2 Ventures and strategic angel investors. Founded as Coralytics and recently rebranded to the company uses artificial intelligence to simplify real estate sales workflows. 'Real estate agents globally are underserved by fragmented, outdated sales tools. Through our mission is to simplify growth with AI that just works,' said Fouad Bekkar, founder and CEO of 'This funding gives us the firepower to further accelerate product innovation and expand into key growth markets,' Bekkar added. The capital will support the company's product development roadmap, including engineering hires and advanced AI features. The Kingdom's performance was boosted by three major rounds, including Q-commerce platform Ninja's $250 million raise led by Riyad Capital, foodtech startup Calo's $39 million series B extension, and SaaS provider Lucidya's $30 million series B. will also consolidate its position in the UAE, establish new operations in Saudi Arabia, and launch pilot programs in France and the US. 'Salica Oryx Fund is delighted to be an early supporter and investor in It represents a significant advancement in real estate marketing technology, offering an AI-powered platform that fundamentally transforms how properties are marketed and presented online,' said Ivo Detelinov, general partner at Salica Oryx Fund. Patrick Thiriet, CEO of EQ2 Ventures, added, 'AI is about to leapfrog productivity across many industries where professionals still use ill-adapted legacy software products to run their business. The property market is one of those verticals, with real estate agents spending too much time on non-productive tasks.' international growth strategy is reinforced by a go-to-market partnership with SNPI, France's largest real estate union, representing over 14,800 agencies. In North America, the company has secured its first US-based multiple listing service partner, with pilots expected to launch shortly. Breadfast secures $10m to expand operations Egypt's quick-commerce grocery delivery platform Breadfast has raised $10 million as part of its Series B2 round. The investment was led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with participation from Novastar Ventures. Founded in 2017, Breadfast has evolved from a bakery delivery service into a full-scale on-demand grocery and household goods provider. The new funding places its valuation between $382 million and $400 million. The company will use the capital to expand fulfilment centres in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, and Mansoura, with plans to enter additional Egyptian cities. It is also investing in Breadfast Pay, a fintech extension offering digital savings, withdrawals, and branded payment cards. The fintech unit supports the company's ambition to develop a broader super-app experience, integrating commerce and financial services to boost customer engagement and retention. Impact46 invests $6.66m in five MENA gaming studios Saudi Arabia-based venture capital firm Impact46 has invested more than SR25 million ($6.66m) in five gaming studios — Fahy, NJD Games, Game Cooks, Starvania, and Alpaka — as part of its SR150 million Gaming Fund launched in March 2024. The studios span mobile, PC, console, and hybrid-casual gaming, reflecting the growing creative and technical capabilities of the MENA region's gaming ecosystem. 'We see gaming as more than a sector; it's a language of youth, culture, and creation,' said Basmah Al-Sinaidi, managing partner at Impact46. 'Through these investments, we're backing builders who aren't just launching games but creating the infrastructure, stories, and platforms that define the next era of content in the region.' Fahy and NJD Games are focused on mobile titles developed in Saudi Arabia. Game Cooks, now headquartered in Riyadh, has produced over 22 titles across VR, PC, and mobile platforms and has won multiple international awards. Starvania specialises in fantasy PC and console games, while Alpaka develops hybrid-casual mobile games in the action genre. These investments follow earlier backing of Spoilz, which develops culturally inspired mobile games, and Spekter Games, a publisher building games for chat-based platforms with Web3 layers. Together, the portfolio illustrates Impact46's commitment to fostering a homegrown gaming ecosystem. The initiative aligns with Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to position the Kingdom as a global gaming leader. Key enablers include the Saudi Esports Federation, CODE, and the Esports World Cup Foundation. Perle raises $9m seed round UAE-based startup Perle, which is building a decentralized AI training data platform, has closed a $9 million seed funding round led by Framework Ventures. The funding will support the launch of Perle Labs, a crypto-native ecosystem aimed at enhancing how humans contribute to AI model training. Perle uses blockchain infrastructure to provide transparent payments, on-chain attribution, and verifiable work histories for contributors. 'As AI models grow more sophisticated, their success hinges on how well they handle the long tail of data inputs — those rare, ambiguous, or context-specific scenarios,' said Ahmed Rashad, CEO of Perle. 'By decentralizing this process, we can unlock global participation, reduce bias, and dramatically improve model performance.' The company's platform supports the full AI development lifecycle, including multimodal data collection, reinforcement learning from human feedback, and assistant fine-tuning. It combines human expertise with adaptive workflows to accelerate the accuracy and scale of training data. Perle is targeting developers and companies seeking more robust, transparent, and scalable AI data pipelines, with a long-term vision to decentralize the AI supply chain and empower global contributors.
