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ICD, NPC sign MOU to form joint venture prawn company
15 March – the Company signed a memorandum of understanding with The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB) to promote a leader in the global shrimp industry through the creation of International Prawn Holding Company (IPHC) with joint equity ownership between ICD and NPC.
ICD CEO and General Manager Khaled A. Al-Aboodi and Company general manager, Ahmed R. Al-Balla signed the joint venture agreement.
The agreement assumes tremendous importance against the background that the aquaculture sector is a strategic one for the Kingdom and other ICD member countries due to its direct impact on economic growth and food security. "ICD is thus committed to work with leading companies like NPC who has world-class aquaculture competencies to support their growth plans.
Al-Aboodi said the ICD views this partnership as part of its strategy to be the private sector development catalyst by enabling accelerated path for leading companies toward internationalization and access to other overseas markets and opportunities, he added that more initiatives are under preparation by ICD to encourage investors and businessmen in the region.
Al-Balla said NPC is conducting its business as a licensed shrimp farm in Saudi Arabia. The project is the world's largest fully integrated desert coastal aquaculture project located on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, NPC has all the components to support various activities for its environmental friendly project, including the facilities for Domestication, Growout, Processing Plant, Feed Mill and Central Lab, he added.
Al-Balla said NPC has adopted a proper scientific approach to its investment and nationalizing aquaculture technologies through numerous studies, researches and specialized tests and hire international expertise in the field of shrimp aquaculture.
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High-level German delegation visits the company
February 2009 - The German Undersecretary -Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Gerd Muller and a delegation from the German Ministry of Agriculture accompanied by a delegation from the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture and the German Consulate have visited the company as part of his program to visit some of the major agricultural companies in Saudi Arabia.
Eng / Ahmed Al.Ballaa, NPC general manager, has explained the company's strategy and approach based on food safety and sustainable development since starting and up to the current phase, he stated that the company takes into account a range of factors with securing the local environment being on top.
Eng. Al.Ballaa has emphasized on importance of such visits, which reflect the bright face of Saudi agriculture giving positive impacts on marketing of Saudi products in the European markets, bearing in mind that National Prawn Company is the only EU shrimp exporting company in the Middle East.
Dr. Gerd Muller said that National Prawn Company has brought forward an honorable and civilized image of a producing project of high standards of quality, and at the same time committed to development and protection of environment, he stated that this is a difficult equation; however, it has been achieved by National Prawn Company.
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National Prawn Company wins 25th place among the 100 fastest growing companies in KSA
January 2009 - NPC started year 2009 with a valuable award by winning the twenty-fifth place among the fastest growing 100 companies in Saudi Arabia, this comes through participation in an international forum competition (award for the fastest growing100 companies in Saudi Arabia). The forum was held in Riyadh on Tuesday 01/02/14230 (H) / 27/01/2009, Eng. Ahmed R. Al.Ballaa, NPC General Manager, received the prize at a grand ceremony attended by a large number of VIPs, businessmen and other people interested in the local and international economy.
Eng. Al.Ballaa said that this achievement has been reached - thanks to Almighty Allah- through proper approach adopted by the company to benefit from the economic resources found in this blessed country, such as sea water and salina lands (not suitable for agriculture or any other investment). These resources have been used wisely and in sustainable manner to create coastal development for rural communities by creating job opportunities for their sons and daughters, revitalization of costal areas economy and contribution to the advancement of the national income.
He also said that NPC has adopted a proper scientific approach in its investment, nationalizing aquaculture technologies through numerous studies, researches, and specialized tests and hiring of international expertise in the field of shrimp aquaculture.
He added that this achievement could be attributed also to the sincere efforts exerted by all employees of the company since starting and up to inauguration made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud in 2003 and the laying of the foundation stone for the giant expansion of the project to take the global leadership position in shrimp farming.
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Chairman and members of the Agricultural Bank visited National Prawn Company
September 2008 - NPC has been chosen by the Agricultural Bank for holding its Board Meeting with the presence of Eng. Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al.Rubaiaan , Chairman of the Board, Acting Director-General Eng. Abdullah bin Abdurrahman Al Aoain in addition to other members of the board of the bank.
Eng. Ahmed Rasheed Al.Ballaa, NPC general manager has made a detailed illustration along with a field tour inside the company to get acquainted with different projects whether completed or under-construction. He showed them all the productive sectors and the successive developments of the project. Eng. Al.Ballaa praised the Agricultural Bank for its everlasting efforts and support that helped the company to reach a global leadership in shrimp farming.
Eng. Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al.Rubaiaan expressed his delightfulness for the existence of such project in the kingdom; he added that the kingdom, its people and the Agricultural Bank are all proud of this leading and integrated project for shrimp farming with its products passing overseas reaching almost 30 countries around the world.
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Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation visited National Prawn Company
May 2008 - His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Arab Republic of Egypt, Eng/ Ameen Abazha, had a visit to the National Prawn Company to get acquainted with the Kingdom's experience in shrimp farming, he had visited NPC projects where the Company has made a field tour to view all stages of production, he was accompanied by the Saudi Minister of Agriculture Dr. Fahd Bal.Ghonaim.
Eng/ Ameen Abazha considered the Kingdom's experience in the field of shrimp farming as an example of achievements in establishing an integrated production system, which made the company an important producer and exporter of shrimp and the only project of its kind in the world.
Egyptian Minister of Agriculture Eng/ Ameen Abazha invited NPC to repeat this experience again in Egypt, he promised to provide all facilities for such giant projects.
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National Prawn Company signed a joint memorandum of cooperation with the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training
March 2008 - The Company signed a joint cooperation agreement with the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training in the fields f training and recruitment, as both parties have shown the desire to raise the level of training and rehabilitation and nationalization of jobs in order to serve the joint training programs and to achieve training opportunities and contribute to the refinement of distinctive national competencies to fulfill their assigned tasks.
The memorandum was signed by Dr. Ali Bin Nasser Al.Qafes – Director of General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training and Sheikh Suleiman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi - Chairman of the Board of Directors National Prawn Company.
Ceremony of signing the memorandum has been attended by Al.Lith Governor, Mr. Abdul Rahman Nowar Al.Harbi and representatives of governmental departments in Al.Lith in addition to a number of academicians and researchers from the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training.
Sheikh Suleiman said that the company is considered a model for the integrated fish farming projects in the world, and the experience of the company -extending for ore than25 years- makes it an ideal partner for General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training contributing to provide scientific expertise required for graduates of Saudi cadres.
His Excellency the Director of Organization, Dr. Al.Qafes said that this joint work between the Organization and private sector comes as a result of sensing the importance of training and qualification for the employment of national citizens according to Saudi labor regulations.
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Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Opened the Female Processing & Packaging Plant and put the foundation stone for expansion of Feedmill feed and Processing Plant
January 2008 - His Royal Highness the Emir of Mecca, Prince/ Khalid Al-Faisal (may Allah protect him) has inaugurated the first NPC female factory for shrimp processing, he also has laid down the foundation stone for the expansion of Processing Plant. Insisting on government encouragement for aquaculture industry, he said that this project is a pride not only for owners but also for all Saudi citizens after knowing that it exports shrimp to more than 26 countries throughout the world such as America, China, Japan, European countries ... etc.
He also asked Allah to bless those working on the Project and to grant them success in establishing more giant projects in the Kingdom.
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NPC Exports 900 tons of shrimp annually to Egypt
January 2008 – NPC has signed an agreement with one of Egyptian import and export companies to export 75 tons of shrimp per month to Egypt, which represents one of the largest markets for shrimp consumed in the Middle East. Actually, Egyptian market is considered one of the best international markets of NPC in terms of proximity and easiness of shipping which help Shrimp to maintain quality and nutritional value, this step comes as NPC looks forward to expand operations to include the Arab markets, many agreements have already been signed with several Arab countries over the past few months, the Egyptian market is considered a promising market for NPC which occupies the forefront of the shrimp farming industry.
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NATIONAL PRAWN COMPANY SIGNS JOINT COOPERATION MEMORANDUM WITH KING ABDUL AZIZ UNIVERSITY
National Prawn Company (NPC) signed a Joint Cooperation Memorandum covering scientific research and training with King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) represented by it’s faculty of Marine Sciences. The ceremony was attended by Al Laith Mayor Mr. Abdulrahman Nawar Al Harbi, representatives from Governmental departments and academics and researchers from the University. The agreement was signed by his Excellency Dr. Osama Sadiq Tayeb, director of KAAU and Sheikh Sulaiman Abdulaziz Al Rajhi, Chairman of the Board of Directors at National Prawn Company (NPC). During the signing ceremony, Sheikh Al Rajhi said that the objective of the mutual cooperation memorandum with KAAU is to achieve sustainable development utilizing operational policies that take environment, feasibility and social responsibility factors into consideration.
Dr. Tayeb, on other hand, said that the agreement comes as a direct result of the Royal directions to encourage partnerships between Saudi universities and the private sector for the benefit of future development plans in the Kingdom. The most important aspect in the agreement is that it focuses on specialization and providing qualified Saudi talents from the faculty of Marine Sciences in KAAU. |
| "NATIONAL PRAWN COMPANY" GOLD SPONSOR AT OMAN 2006 SEAFOOD EXHIBITION
National Prawn Company recently sponsored the Oman 2006 seafood exhibition and conference. The company presented its experience and success case study in shrimp aquaculture and applying the fundamentals of Sustainable Development which has reflected on the quality and safety of its products at a time when global demand for seafood aquaculture products is rising due to it not being affected by recent bio-security issues and also due to the inability of sea-catch products to meet the increasing demand of a rising global population. |
| "PINAR" FROM TURKI AND NPC SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
National Prawn Company signed a Memorandum Of Understanding with Pinar from Turkey, producer of food products with the aim of paving the way for future commercial cooperation between the two companies.
The MOU was signed by Engr. Ahmad Al Balla -General Manager of NPC and Mr. Sedat Otles –Business Development & Sales Director from Pinar at NPC’s head office in Al Lith. The MOU comes as part of NPC’s direction to increase its local and international customers in alignment with the large expansions currently being carried out on its shrimp farms. |
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NPC TRAINS AND QUALIFIES 60 SAUDI YOUNG MEN
As part of its Saudization plan, NPC completed training and employment program for 60 Saudi young men in various job openings available in the Company. In a graduation ceremony organized by NPC, GM Eng. Ahmad Al-Balla awarded the graduates their certificates, wishing them all the best in their future careers. The program is part of an agreement signed with the Human Resources Development Fund for training and employing Saudi youth, who will join the shrimp farming industry. The training was conducted at the Training and Qualifying Center in the Company’s premises. The upcoming period will be a real opportunity for the graduates to apply their knowledge in the shrimp farming industry, which is considered to be a new and promising field in the Kingdom.
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| WORLD EXPERT IN BIO-SECURITY COMMENDS NPC SYSTEMS
Professor Tim Flegel, from the Center of Excellence for Shrimp Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CENTEX) in Thailand, who specializes in shrimp bio-security, said that the NPC is a source pride for the Kingdom in shrimp cultivation. Thanks to the company’s care for bio-security, taking into consideration that bio-security is increasingly becoming a priority for consumers. He said that NCP is one of the rare projects in the world that strictly adheres to bio-security. That is why no disease or viral infections have ever been recorded since production initiation. GM Eng. Ahmed Al-Balla said that spread of diseases and viral infections could be a threat that may negatively affect the shrimp cultivation industry. He added that NPC has always applyed creative procedures to detect and prevent any disease through developing regulations and procedures of bio-security. |
| NINE TRUCKS TO SUPPORT NPC’S FLEET FOR THE INITIATION OF THE 2ND PHASE
NPC signed a contract to purchase nine trucks, capacity of each is 36 tons, at an amount of SR 25 million. The new trucks will be utilized in implementation of the second phase of NPC’s project. GM Eng. Ahmad Al-Balla announced that the second phase will increase the project area to 6,000 acres of production aquariums, and the production will rise to 30000 tons of cultured shrimps per year. NPC’s production will fully cover the local demand, while export products to international markets will also increase. |
| DELEGATION FROM ICBA VISITS NPC
September -A delegation form the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) headed by Prof. Dr. Faisal Taha –Director of Technical Programs visited NPC to review the progress stage of the joint biosaline project that is currently being piloted on location. Dr. Taha explained that the objective of the effort is to develop a model program that benefits from farm returned sea water by purifying it from organic matter and using it in planting trees, shrubs and grasses which in turn will help preserve the desert environment by stabilizing the soil thus attracting residents and in the long term creating a basses for developing new residential areas in the kingdom. This cooperation comes under an agreement signed between ICBA and NPC. |
| SAUDI EMPLOYEE MEETING
Aug- NPC held its second Saudi employee meeting headed by our GM Eng. Ahmad Al-Balla. The meeting is intended to address the concerns and career paths of the local Saudi workforce. This is part of NPC’s drive to retain and develop its staff. |
| NPC BOARD MEETING ENDORSES SR 35 MILLION FOR NEW EQUIPMENT
July- Headed by Sh. Sulaiman Al Rajhi and attended by board members; Mr. Mohammad Al Balla, Mr. Naser Al Subaiei, Engr. Ahmad Al Balla and Mr. Khaled Al Rajhi the quarterly meeting reviewed the company’s mid year results and plans for the coming period leading up to the second phase. During the meeting an endorsement of 35 million SR was approved for purchasing new equipment that will be used to construct phase two. |
| EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT DELEGATION VISITS NPC
July- An Egyptian delegation, lead by the Director of the General Council for the Development of Fish Resources -Dr. Ezzat Ibrahim accompanied by Mr. Jaber Al Shihri Director of the Ministry of Agriculture office in the Makkah area recently visited the headquarters of National Prawn Co. to view the Kingdom’s experiment in shrimp farming. Dr. Ezzat Ibrahim considered the kingdoms experience in shrimp farming a successful example of the countries achievement in developing a fully integrated production system which has made the project the only one of its kind in the world. |
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ROYAL INAUGURATION
HRH Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz inaugurated Phase-1 of NPC’s Project site at Al-Lith on the 12th of March, 2003 and simultaneously laid the foundation stone for Phase-2 of the Project. |
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SHRIMP EXPORT TO EU
NPC shall start export of white farmed shrimp and shrimp products to the European markets.
The Saudi Government has been notified that its application concerning the export of Saudi farmed shrimp to EU has been approved on January 2005. |
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HATCHERY DEPARTMENT INSTALLS ROBOTIC FEEDER IN NURSERY UNIT
In its newest nursery unit capable of producing 120 million fry per month. NPC has installed a feeding robot from Arvo-Tec Oy, Finland. Whilst a common site in advanced fish hatcheries, this is the first time that this kind of robot feeding unit has been used for shrimp fry production. With the robot feeding 15 times daily, feed is always available for fry to eat and so growth, survival and quality is superior. In addition, lower feed and labor costs ensure a short payback period. |
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BIOSALINE AGRICULTURE PROJECT
On july 2004, NPC signed agreement with the international center for Biosaline agriculture (ICBA), UAE to establish research and development activities leading to a large-scale utilization of return seawater from shrimp farms, seawater and underground saline water for the production of halophytes. |
| ESTABLISHMENT OF KOREA & UAE MARKETS
As part of NPC's on going marketing strategy to extend its wings into various international markets, NPC has in July 2004 penetrated into Korea and UAE. NPC has also started to establish its brand name in Korean markets in a very short time span due to its quality and consistency in supply. |
NPC PRODUCTS IS NOW AVAILABLE AT LOCAL SUPERMARKETS
NPC extended its presence in the local market by launching new products through Hypermarkets and A Class Supermarket chains in the Kingdom. |
NEW PRODUCTS LAUNCHED
In its drive towards diversification of products, NPC has launched new value added products such as Peeled D-veined Tail-On IQF (PDTO IQF) and Head-On Shell-On SIQF (HOSO SIQF) in different sizes. |
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