The extent of the losses caused by the current cold wave to agricultural crops in Saudi Arabia, as well as the impact this will have on fruit and vegetable trade is still difficult to assess.

Dr Adel Dheifallah, Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, said that crops grown in greenhouses will naturally not be as affected, but the extent of the damages to open field crops sensitive to cold temperatures is difficult to estimate. Following common procedure, the Ministry of Agriculture will oversee the formation of committees to determine which areas and to what extent they have been hit.

Mr Dheifallah explained that deciduous trees, like figs, apricots or pomegranates, among others, will not be as affected, and that the snow may even have a positive effect on them, and that the most damaged will likely be the crops that grow in the ground, like potatoes.

For now, Jeddah's market has not reported any shortages in the volume of fruits and vegetables available; the competent authorities will keep in contact with fruit traders and vegetable producers from areas affected in the north of the Kingdom and adjacent countries to follow-up on any developments.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com