Riyadh paves way for foreign ventures

The project began on a small scale, with two wells dug into the ground a short distance from the Nile as the river snakes a path through remote northern Sudan.

Tests on the underground water quality and the soil proved positive and a small batch of wheat was ­harvested last year, confirming that the land was suitable for cereal and forage crops.

The results mean Hail Agricultural Development , a Saudi Arabian agricultural company, will move ahead to the next stage of a 22,000-acre project in Africa’s largest country. For the oil-rich Gulf kingdom the move means that it is a small step closer towards its longer-term strategic goal of securing food resources through large-scale farm projects overseas.