Saudi Arabia is continuing to develop coffee growing in its Asir region as part of a broader push to build up industries beyond oil.
Asir, a mountainous region in the kingdom's southwest, has a long-standing but small-scale tradition of coffee cultivation, and officials and growers there have been working to make that tradition more sustainable and commercially viable. The effort fits into Saudi Arabia's wider Vision 2030 plan, a long-running national strategy first launched in 2016 to reduce the country's economic dependence on oil revenue by building up sectors like tourism, agriculture, entertainment and technology.
Agriculture in Saudi Arabia faces real natural constraints, since much of the country is arid, so projects like the Asir coffee initiative are often highlighted by officials as examples of how specific regions with the right climate and terrain can support niche, high-value crops rather than large-scale staple farming. Coffee cultivation in the region draws on cooler highland conditions that are unusual for the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has increasingly promoted homegrown agricultural products, including Asir coffee, as part of its efforts to build a distinct national identity around goods that can be marketed both domestically and for export, alongside the broader tourism and cultural investments the kingdom has made in recent years.
Officials are expected to continue promoting Asir coffee and similar regional products as part of the kingdom's ongoing diversification efforts through the rest of this decade.
What is Vision 2030?
It is Saudi Arabia's long-running national strategy, launched in 2016, aimed at reducing the country's economic reliance on oil by developing other sectors such as tourism, agriculture and technology.