Saudi Arabia issues tender to buy hard wheat

Saudi Arabia's state wheat buying agency Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organisation (GSFMO) said on Thursday that it has issued an international tender to buy 715,000 tonnes of hard wheat. The tender deadline is Friday, April 3. The tender sought June to August shipment. The wheat is sought from optional origins, with a maximum three origins per offer, the GSFMO said.
The 12.5 percent protein content wheat is sought in consignments of 55,000 tonnes, plus or minus 5 percent, GSFMO acting director general Abdulrahman Al Ruwaitie said in a statement.
Some 495,000 tonnes is sought for shipment to the port of Jeddah and 220,000 tonnes to Dammam, he said. In its last reported purchase on February 2, GSFMO bought 690,000 tonnes of hard wheat.
Saudi Arabia has become a major importer of hard and soft wheat since abandoning plans for self-sufficiency in wheat in 2008 as farming in the desert drained precious water supplies.
The country plans a steady reduction in agriculture in aims to be completely reliant on imports to save water.