ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia bought 715,000 tonnes of wheat in a tender for shipment periods between April and June, the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organisation said on Monday.

It bought 595,000 tonnes of hard wheat with minimum protein of 12.5 percent and 120,000 tonnes of soft wheat with minimum protein of 11 percent.

The accepted origins are from Europe, North and South America and Australia, at the sellers' option, the GSFMO said.

Of the total, 365,000 tonnes are for shipment to the port of Jeddah and 350,000 tonnes to the port of Dammam, Waleed Elkhereiji, director general of GSFMO said in a statement.

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 strained water supplies.