Privately held Fondomonte California on Sunday announced that it bought 1,790 acres of farmland in Blythe, California ? an agricultural town along the Colorado River ? for nearly $32 million. Two years ago, Fondomont's parent company, Saudi food giant Almarai, purchased another 10,000 acres of farmland about 50 miles away in Vicksburg, Arizona, for around $48 million.
"They will continue to come over here and buy properties where they can grow good-quality alfalfa hay and ship it back to the Middle East. It makes logical sense for them to do that because they're not going to be able to grow it in Saudi Arabia, especially for milk production."
-Joseph Dutra, President, Westec
But not everyone likes the trend. The alfalfa exports are tantamount to "exporting water," because in Saudi Arabia, "they have decided that it's better to bring feed in rather than to empty their water reserves," said Keith Murfield, CEO of United Dairymen of Arizona, a Tempe-based dairy cooperative whose members also buy alfalfa. "This will continue unless there's regulations put on it."
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they will use up our water and laugh all the way to the bank when we have to buy it from them in years ahead.
america fools under Trump . Make America Fools again.
