Saudi Arabia secures nearly 800, 000 MT of wheat in international tender
This was above the 655,000 tons sought in the tender.
SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi Arabia’s General Food Security Authority (GFSA) has confirmed the purchase of about 794,000 metric tons of wheat in an international tender on Monday, March 2, well above the 655,000 tonnes originally sought.
The state buying agency did not disclose prices.
The grain will arrive between May and July 2026 in 13 consignments split across multiple ports, including Jeddah, Yanbu, Jazan and Duba.
This follows the agency’s January 19 tender, in which it acquired an estimated 907,000 tonnes of hard wheat for the domestic milling industry.
Saudi Arabia’s reliance on imported wheat stems from a long-standing policy shift away from large-scale domestic cultivation, instituted in the mid-2010s to conserve scarce freshwater resources.
The Kingdom’s domestic output now represents a fraction of total consumption, leaving bulk flour mills and food processors dependent on foreign supplies from key exporters such as Russia, Brazil, Uruguay and Bulgaria.
According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report, the Kingdom’s wheat imports in the 2025-26 marketing year are forecast at around 3.1 million tonnes, slightly down from about 3.4 million tonnes the previous year, as incentives from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture stimulate local production.
Despite this, imported volumes remain substantial.
The Kingdom is also expanding imports of other feed grains, driven by rising demand from the livestock and poultry sectors.
Barley import are projected to jump from 1.9 million tonnes to around 4.2 million tonnes in the same period, taking advantage of lower global supplies and competitive pricing. Corn imports are similarly expected to stay robust, supporting feed processors and poultry expansion.
Saudi investment in trade infrastructure and supply chain resilience is another partnership angle shaping imports.
The establishment of the National Grain Supply Company (SABIL) under the Saudi Agriculture & Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) strengthens storage and logistics capabilities, adding over 2.7 million t of silo capacity across key ports.
This move enhances the Kingdom’s ability to manage inbound grain flows efficiently and support commercial milling partners.
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