The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources in Saudi Arabia has disclosed that as of January 2024, Saudi Arabia has a total of 11,672 factories, with investments amounting to SAR1539 trillion ($410 trillion). This figure includes factories at various stages of construction.
According to a report from the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information, which operates under the ministry, a total of 152 new industrial licenses were issued in January. These licenses were further distributed among five different industrial activities.
Key Industrial Indicators and Figures for January 2024.#Industry_and_Mineral_Resources pic.twitter.com/fn2iPi47lu
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New license distribution by industry
The manufacturing of food products accounted for the highest number of new licenses, with 27 licenses issued. It was followed by the manufacturing of other non-metallic mineral products with 20 licenses, the manufacturing of formed metal products (excluding machinery and equipment) with 19 licenses, the manufacturing of rubber and plastic products with 18 licenses, and the manufacturing of chemicals and chemical products with 14 licenses.
Investment volume in January
The report also stated that the ministry issued a total of 152 industrial licenses from the beginning of the year until the end of January.
In terms of investment, the total investment volume for new licenses in January was SAR6.2 billion. Moreover, the majority of these licenses (89.47 percent) were acquired by small establishments, followed by medium establishments (8.55 percent), and large establishments (1.32 percent). Saudi national factories accounted for the largest percentage of the total licenses issued by investment type, at 75.66 percent. Foreign establishments accounted for 14.47 percent, while establishments with joint investment accounted for 9.87 percent.
Leading sectors in new production
Furthermore, the report highlighted that 79 factories began production in January, with an investment volume of SAR1.3 billion. The leading sectors in terms of new production were food factories (13 factories), followed by formed metal factories (11 factories), rubber and plastics factories (9 factories), paper factories (7 factories), and furniture and basic metals factories (1 factory each).
Factory production breakdown
Among the factories that started production, Saudi national factories represented 78.48 percent, followed by factories with foreign investment at 12.66 percent, and joint factories at 8.86 percent.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, through the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information, releases monthly reports containing key industrial indicators that shed light on the state of industrial activity in the Kingdom. These reports also reveal the changes occurring in new industrial investments and newly operational factories.
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