'UAE company to supply 400,000 metric tonnes of wheat annually to Jordan'

AMMAN — Jordan will receive a shipment of barley from the UAE’s Al Dahra company in June as part of an agreement, a government official said on Tuesday.

In June, the Kingdom will receive 50,000 metric tonnes of barley from the UAE company, Yanal Barmawi, spokesperson of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, said in a phone interview.

Barmawi announced that Jordan has received a shipment of wheat totalling 52,000 metric tonnes from Al Dahra, which is the first shipment of around 400,000 metric tonnes of wheat the company will supply to Jordan annually.

“We bought the wheat at $214 per metric tonne,” the official said.

“More shipments of wheat and barley will arrive in the upcoming months," he added.

Under an agreement with the company, Jordan buys a metric tonne at $4 less than international markets, said Barmawi.

The agreement with the UAE company will save Jordan around JD1.6 million per year, he added.

Jordan’s current wheat reserve is 920,000 metric tonnes, which is enough for around a year, according to ministry figures.

The Kingdom’s barley reserve is around 660,000 metric tonnes, according to the ministry, which indicated that Jordan consumes 80,000 metric tons of wheat per month and 65,000 tons of barley a month.