Saudi Arabia will buy more soft wheat of 11-12.5 percent protein in its next tender but has not yet decided what quantity to order, an official at its Grains and Silos Flour Management Organisation (GSFMO) said on Monday. The kingdom abandoned its policy of wheat self-sufficiency in 2008 and aims to be entirely dependent on imports by 2016 in an effort to save domestic water supplies.
It placed its first ever order for soft wheat last week, for June-August delivery of 110,000 tonnes at the same time as it bought 465,000 tonnes of hard wheat. The country is aiming to boost soft wheat purchases to supply domestic manufacture of biscuits and other sweet products.