Saudi Arabia is known for some of the region’s big dairy farms, exporting milk and other dairy products to neighboring countries. Bushnak saw no reason for these farms to operate in the Kingdom.
“Why should we have to feed 20 million animals? Why can’t we import their feed from outside, or use seawater to produce fodder for them? Milk can also be imported. Every liter of milk takes 1,000 liters of water to produce. So, with every 1,000 liters of water, we are exporting just one liter of milk,” he pointed out.
He said more than 40 percent of oil and gas production is being used just to produce water, electricity and fuels for cars and industries in Saudi Arabia. These utilities are heavily subsidized, which is benefiting only a handful of people, not the majority of Saudis who need them.
Bushnak was of the opinion that the government should reexamine the policy of subsidies. He said with the current pricing and subsidies on water and electricity, the poor pay much more while people in developed urban areas get water for 10 halalas, the poor pay up to SR6. The reason? Water is not delivered to them. He has to buy it. “Less than 50 percent of the population in Jeddah is connected to the network. Others buy it from truckers to survive,” he added.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article62095.ece
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