The Government implemented an integrated program of agricultural development, involving improvement of the infrastructure, mechanization and training. Intensive dairy and meat farming were so successfully introduced that, within a decade, the Kingdom's farmers were providing sufficient quantities of many basic foods to supply the nation's requirements. Development of fishing has not been neglected. Traditional fishing has grown in recent years and there has been a steady growth in the number of fish farms, predominantly along the Red Sea coast.
Aquaculture is seen as a major element in the expansion of the Kingdom's fishing industry.
As evidence of the Kingdom's commitment, the Government encouraged and participated in the establishment of a joint-stock company, the Saudi Fish Company, with a capital of SR 100 million. This company has succeeded in establishing its own fishing fleet and provides a variety of fish and shrimps both for home consumption and for export. Most remarkable of all, the Kingdom, which had been an importer of wheat , became self-sufficient in 1984 and thereafter an exporter to such countries as China, European Union countries and Russia.