The High Commission for Planning (governmental) expected that economic growth will be affected by the repercussions of the return of seasonal drought, warning that the beginning of the current agricultural season witnessed a significant delay in planting early crops in light of the recording of a deficit in rain during the first four months of the current season.
The delegation expects economic growth to decline to 2.4 percent in the first quarter of this year (January to March), from 3.3 percent in the same period last year. Since the start of the agricultural season four months ago, rainfall has fallen by 67 percent, and water reserves in dams have fallen by 75 percent.
There are fears that the kingdom's economic growth this year, which the government hopes will reach 3.7 percent, will be affected by weak precipitation after two years of drought.
Source (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed Newspaper, Edited)
