Riyadh – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Committee on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security has approved the accreditation of the Saudi Plant Genetic Resources Bank as the first Gulf bank in this field.

This announcement came during the participation of Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli in the 34th Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Agriculture and Food Security in the GCC countries in the Omani capital, Muscat.

The bank contains all plant genetic resources: field and horticultural crop seeds, seeds for natural plants in pastures and forests, medicinal seeds and aromatic plants, and genetic pools.

The Gulf bank also contains herbaria and biotechnology laboratories, which will contribute to the work of a genetic signature and study the genetic diversity of all plant genetic resources of GCC member states.