HAJJAH, March 20 (Saba) - Saudi border guards have opened fire on four Yemenis were trying to smuggle Qat into Saudi territories, Interior Minster reported on Saturday.

The four smugglers (18 – 23) have been wounded in different part of their bodies, security source in Haradh district of border governorate of Hajjah said.

The smugglers have been sent to a hospital in Haradh district, while the procedures are still in underway, according to the source.

While Qat, a flowering plant, is so popular in Yemen, it is illegal in Saudi Arabia, where the authorities criminalize Qat using, selling and possessing.

It is worth to mention that Qat planting in Yemen increases yearly at an average of 4,000 to 6,000 hectares, using about 30 percent of the water resources allotted to agriculture.

The production and consumption of Qat have increased during the last years. Qat competes with many food crops, particularly the cash crops such as coffee and cotton.

According to agricultural census data, Yemen's production of Qat rose from 118,207 tons of the total planted lands estimated to 122,843 hectares in 2004 to reach 165,668 tons from 146,810 hectares at the end of 2008.

MB/AF