TADCO (Tabuk Agriculture Development Company), Saudi Arabia
Tabuk Agriculture Company (TADCO), one of the most successful agricultural companies in the Middle East, celebrates its 25th year of existence this year. For 25 years, TADCO has been a landmark in agriculture in the Middle East, proudly serving its stakeholders and the agricultural community with its pioneering agricultural technology.
Tabuk region in the North-West of Saudi Arabia is famous for agriculture, nestled in fertile lowlands surrounded by mountains and hills. The moderate climate and high fertility of the soil, coupled with pure fresh groundwater makes the region an ideal location for producing finest quality fruits, vegetables, olives, alfalfa and wheat.
1. Product Quality
TADCO is a leader in product quality, with its products commanding premium prices. Of particular importance is "quality assurance", and in 2006 TADCO was awarded ISO and HACCP certification from the prestigious certification body "American Systems Registrar" in recognition of its excellence in process implementation and control.
In further emphasizing its commitment to highest quality standards, TADCO upgraded its laboratory facilities to the tune of SR1 million. This has enabled TADCO to deliver more than 1 million MT of alfalfa to dairy farms and 150,000 MT of potatoes to processing factories without a single rejection. Annual spoilage for fruit production exceeding 15000 MT is less than 2%.
2. Storage and grading Technology:
TADCO is an innovator in cold store technology for potatoes, onions, and fruits in Saudi Arabia, and in 1999 it invested in the most advanced cold storage technology in the world such that today it has the most advanced storage facilities in the Middle East. Potatoes can be stored in 34 cold rooms, with a combined storage capacity at any one time of 13,000 MT (up to 26,000 MT for two crops per year). Fruits can be stored in 16 additional rooms for a storage capacity of up to 5500 MT of fruit at any one time and are graded using state-of-the-art computerized grading equipment. The cold-storage system is completely computerized, with local environmental conditions in each store room continually monitored 24/7
3. Strategic Business Units
In 2007, in recognition of the dynamic changing market environment, TADCO became the first agricultural company in Saudi Arabia to divide its businesses into "Strategic Business Units" (SBUs), with the formation of a "Fruits Business Unit" and an "Olives Business Unit". In 2008, three more Business Units were added ("Forage Business Unit", "Vegetables Business Unit", "Grains Business Unit") thus completing the changeover to "Business Units" of all of Tadco's farming enterprises. The formation of these five Business Units, each with its own General Manager and full team compliment of production, sales/marketing, finance, administration is one of the most important decisions of TADCO's history, and TADCO's Business Units are thus considered unrivalled in expertise in the Kingdom in the field of production, marketing, and sales. The strategic direction and vision of each Business Unit is guided by the "Chief Officers" of a) strategy & business development, b) finance, c) operations, d) resources all of whom in turn are guided by the vision and strategic leadership of TADCO's Chief Executive Officer.
TADCO also maintains a Corporate Marketing and Business Development function bringing TADCO and its customers closer together in a way that the competition are unable to match. Market Research and Product Development involves close coordination between "production" and "marketing", which is a unique phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, and further widens the competitive gap between TADCO and its competitors.
4. Environmental protection
TADCO is the first agriculture company in Saudi Arabia to successfully use a combination of environmentally friendly products to control harmful disease-spreading insects, but without harming insects which are beneficial for the environment. TADCO has been able to drastically reduce the use of chemicals which damage the environment to such an extent that there is now an ecological balance of beneficial insects which control the harmful insects, and the end result is a protected environment and products which are totally free of any chemical residues. In addition, only natural plant extract from eucalyptus tree is used as a sprout suppressant during potato storage.
5. Water resource management
Since its establishment in 1983, TADCO has had as one of its foremost concerns the efficient use of the Kingdom's limited water resources. Over 90% of the consultants employed every year by TADCO are for providing consultation on reducing the consumption of water for growing crops. Such is the success achieved by TADCO in this area, following millions of riyals investment in irrigation technology and software that TADCO now uses about half the amount of water to grow a crop than it did 20 years ago.