Taif's rose farms blossom into global centre for the manufacturing of fragrances

Taif's renowned and hilly rose farms have developed into a significant fragrance production hub, generating over 550 million roses annually and serving as a multi-million-dollar economic driver. 910 rose farms cultivate 1.14 million blossoming bushes over 270 hectares of land. This is reported by Arab News.

Terraced fields yield over 70 enterprises and laboratories that extract and produce over 80 highly sought-after compounds, with a turnover of 64 million Saudi shillings ($17 million) on the domestic market between March and April.

The fragrant blooms have elevated the hilly province to the status of the world's rose capital, and a basket with 84,450 roses was even able to set a record.

Majid Al-Khalif director general of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, claims that these roses symbolise the region's legacy and competitive edge. He also underlined how eager the government is to use festivals and events to highlight each region's agricultural ability. In addition to promoting regional produce, the aforementioned efforts help farmers exchange expertise. Al-Khalif is aware that cooperation with the local government is essential to the success of these occasions, particularly the Rose Festival, which draws a lot of tourists.

Hani bin Abdulrahman Al-Qadi, director of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s office in the Taif region, noted that the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme, also known as Reef, is a key initiative aimed at developing the rose-growing sector. The programme aims to increase the productivity of vital crops and aims for a balanced rural development strategy. It also aims to diversify agricultural production in rural areas while ensuring optimal and sustainable utilisation of natural agricultural and water resources.

A special unit for rose cultivation has been established at the ministry's office in Taif. In addition, Rif is tasked with introducing a seedling propagation culture and establishing a cooperative association to develop rose cultivation in Taif.

In an effort to boost farmers' production, the ministry actively engages in providing them with contemporary technology training. As part of Saudi Arabia's and Bulgaria's collaborative cooperation, a delegation of rose farmers was deployed to Bulgaria last year.

The initiative aimed to improve the farmers' abilities and foster knowledge exchange. The Ministry's representative office in Taif is actively engaged in offering vital assistance to nearby farmers in order to increase their output in rose farming. These services include guidance on farming, projects to restore agricultural terraces, and rainwater harvesting plans created especially for the rose growers of Taif.

In order to safeguard crops from possible risks, farmers receive professional advice on appropriate agricultural techniques, and specific pest management teams act fast upon requests for pesticide spraying.

The Ministry also supervises the construction of essential water infrastructure, including barrages and reservoirs, and promotes irrigation networks in order to support agricultural activity.

Photo: iStock