Jordan floats tenders for purchase of 240,000 tonnes of barley, wheat

AMMAN — Jordan has opened bids for the purchase of 240,000 tonnes of barley and wheat in order to boost its grain reserves, an official source revealed on Wednesday.

Jordan on Wednesday cancelled a tender to buy 120,000 tonnes of barley in an effort to purchase the grain at lower prices, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Jordan also offered a new tender for the purchase of the same volume and associated shipping, needed for October and first half of November. The deadline for offers is May 3, according to the source.

On Tuesday, Jordan bought 50,000 tonnes of wheat to be shipped in the second half of October, at a price of $303 per tonne.

Jordan also issued a new tender to buy 120,000 tonnes of wheat. The deadline for offers is May 2, according to the official.

Jordan imports about 95 per cent of its wheat and barley from international markets, as domestic production does not exceed 5 per cent of the country’s needs.

According to the Trade Ministry, Jordan consumes 80,000 tonnes of wheat and 60,000 tonnes of barley each month.

Jordan is working on increasing the grain storage capacity by building storage facilities in several areas. According to the ministry, several facilities will be constructed this year in different parts of the country, such as a facility with a 500,000-tonne capacity in Qatraneh, another in Al Muwaqar with a 100,000-tonne capacity and a facility in Al Ghabawi with a 100,000-tonne capacity.