Recently, a delegation from the Saudi Arabia National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification (NCVC) visited BGI Group's Research & Demonstration Site for Desert Transformation in the Ulan Buh Desert of Inner Mongolia and the BGI head office in Shenzhen. BGI showcased its successful practice in desert transformation, as well as its cutting-edge research in the field of life sciences, offering new perspectives for Saudi Arabia's sustainable development in agriculture. 

The Saudi delegation was led by Dr. Khaled Abdullah Alabdulkader, the CEO of NCVC. It also included six other senior officials, who are Eng. Mohammed Ali Alqarni, General Supervisor for CEO Office, Dr. Mansour Alhumimidi, Minster Advisor, Dr. Abdullah Sulaiman Alshammari, General Director for Plant Diversity Department, Eng. Ahmed Malash Alanazi, General Supervisor for Saudi Green Initiative Project, Dr. Amal Aldaej, International Relations Advisor, and Mashael Fahad Almarri, CEO Executive Secretary.

Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BGI Group, hosted the delegation from the Saudi Arabia National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification (NCVC) at BGI’s Research & Demonstration Site for Desert Transformation in the Ulan Buh Desert in Inner Mongolia. (Left side: untransformed desert; right side: sunflower planting area after transformation)

Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BGI Group, extended a warm welcome to the delegation at the Research & Demonstration Site. During the visit, he provided detailed insights into various aspects, including desert planting systems, new species cultivation, precision agriculture with microbial management, components of desert mobile lab station, and research on plant diversity. The Saudi team also introduced the Saudi Green Initiative. Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions regarding the technical principles of desert transformation projects, implementation experiences, and the pathways for promotion in Saudi Arabia. Both parties expressed a strong desire to accelerate the progress of pilot projects in Saudi Arabia.

Wang Jian (second from left) led the delegation to visit the sunflower fields.

While inspecting the Research & Demonstration Site, the delegation witnessed the remarkable transformation of barren desert into cultivable farmland. They were briefed on desert transformation's technological principle and results while standing amidst sunflower fields. The delegation also observed the soil structure and water retention effects in fallow land, toured an ecological recovery area left without irrigation for six consecutive years, and picked and tasted various fruits and vegetables growing in the transformed sandy terrain.

The delegation visited BGI's Desert Mobile Lab Station.

Furthermore, at BGI's Desert Mobile Lab Station, the delegation gained detailed insights into a complete suite of soil physicochemical testing equipment, high-throughput microbial community gene sequencers, and fully automated data analysis processes.

Yin Ye, CEO and Executive Director of BGI Group (middle at front row), hosted the delegation in Shenzhen.

Yin Ye, CEO and Executive Director of BGI Group, hosted the delegation during their visit to Shenzhen. The delegation had the opportunity to explore the application of modern agricultural technologies at BGI's Future Agriculture Technology Demonstration Park. Their discussions covered topics such as the Saudi desert transformation project, soil microbial research, and the breeding of stress-resistant seedlings. Both parties formulated a comprehensive action plan for their next steps.

BGI Group's collaboration with NCVC has a longstanding history. In December 2022, Wang Jian visited Riyadh and engaged in extensive discussions with NCVC and its partners, resulting in the signing of multiple agreements and memoranda of understanding. The recent visit of the Saudi delegation further expands the collaboration between BGI Group and Saudi Arabia. These efforts are aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia's “Vision 2030”. 

In the future, BGI Group is committed to working with more international partners in the environmental protection sector, driving further innovations in environmental technology, and actively contributing to the sustainable development of our planet.