Saudi Arabia’s wheat, corn markets to see 5% demand growth in 2025

Published 2025년 3월 2일

Tridge summary

Saudi Arabia is expected to experience steady domestic growth in its grain market by 2025, with a positive demand outlook driving a 5% annual increase in wheat and corn consumption. The country relies heavily on imports for these grains, primarily from Europe, the Black Sea, South America, and Ukraine, due to its low domestic production. However, ongoing water shortages are expected to limit wheat production growth. Saudi Arabia is also planning to become self-sufficient in poultry production by 2025, having already achieved self-sufficiency in egg production for over a decade. The General Food Security Authority (GFSA) is set to relax its control over grain imports in 2025, allowing private flour mills to take over, which may result in an increase in wheat imports.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Saudi Arabia, one of the key grain markets in the Middle East, is likely to maintain steady domestic growth in 2025, supported by a positive demand outlook, Anis Alam, chief grain procurement officer at Arabian Agricultural Services Company (ARASCO) said in an interview with Platts Jan. 25. The country’s wheat and corn demand is poised to rise at 5% per year, Alam said. “Currently, Saudi Arabia imports around 3.5 million mt of wheat and 5 million mt of corn, which has a growth potential of 5% a year.” Saudi imports wheat, mostly from Europe and Black Sea as domestic wheat production is lower. Alam believes it should be around 500,000-600,000 mt though some statistics show more than 1 million mt. The country’s wheat output is unlikely to increase in the next few years due to water shortage. “I don’t see there is any room for improvement in the production,” he said. Corn, which is used as livestock feed, is imported, mostly from South America – Argentina and Brazil and partly ...

Source: Hellenic Shipping News