Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and President of the Advisory Council of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD), has expressed sincere thanks and gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for his interest in the Bahrain International Garden Show (BIGS), and personal follow-up of its annual results.
She said the Royal interest and follow-up reflected the support enjoyed by the agricultural sector for the sake of promoting the greenery culture and maintaining the kingdom's status as a green island in which residents and visitors feel comfortable and safe.
Receiving ministers and sponsors of BIGS 2015 and the 50th Flower and Vegetable Exhibition, concluded here recently, HRH Princess Sabeeka praised the tangible progress made in this year's edition regarding the quality and number of exhibitors, who reached 145.
In this regard, she commended the efforts of the Transportation and Telecommunications for issuing commemorative stamps documenting the history of agricultural shows in Bahrain dating back to the 1950s, under the patronage of the late HH Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and others commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bahrain Gardens Club.
She also lauded the outstanding level of the agricultural projects of students in various educational establishments, including the Ministry of Education, the University of Bahrain and the Bahrain Polytechnic, calling for more cooperation to come up with mechanisms to sponsor those projects and take advantage of them.
In this context, she lauded the Bahrain Training Institute for launching the Agricultural Diploma, to be implemented at the beginning of the next academic year.
She stressed the important role played by governorates in achieving the goals of NIAD, praising the role of the Capital and Southern Governorates in launching a number of agricultural, environmental and educational initiatives.
She paid similar tribute to the Information Affairs Authority (IAA) and the local press for their coverage of the four-day event.
She also praised the efforts of the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) in taking the initiative and setting up the Bahrain-Japan Friendship Park at the Al Areen wildlife resort.
She called upon the public and private sectors to support Bahraini farmers and remove all obstacles facing them.
HRH Princess Sabeeka was informed about the suggestions of NIAD's Advisory Board members, participants, sponsors and organisers on ways to develop BIGS, in light of the increasing number of citizens, residents and tourists.
Over the years, BIGS has become a platform for experts and enthusiasts to further develop their expertise and knowledge with the latest best practices in the industry. It is also an opportunity for potential investors to seek profitable agricultural investment opportunities.