Saudi Arabia buys 661,000 tons of wheat in tender, GFSA says

DUBAI - Saudi Arabia purchased 661,000 metric tons of wheat in its fourth tender this year, the General Food Security Authority said on Monday.

• Delivery is scheduled from September through October, according to the GFSA.

• The tender was awarded to six companies whose bids were the lowest in price and met the specifications, GFSA added.

• The potential origin countries are the European Union, the North and South Americas, Australia and the Black Sea.

• The GFSA sought the wheat in 11 cargoes.

• The authority said shipment was sought to the Red Sea ports of Jeddah, Jizan and Yanbu.

• Like in GFSA's previous wheat tender, Saudi Gulf ports that are served via the Strait of Hormuz were not included.

• The new purchase would comprise four shipments totalling 244,000 tons for Jeddah, another six cargoes totalling 362,000 tons for Yanbu, and one 55,000-ton cargo for Jizan.

• The GFSA detailed the following purchases were made, all in metric tons and in dollars per ton cost and freight (C&F), with the trading houses making sales and the port and arrival period in Saudi Arabia:

• In its last reported wheat tender in late April, the GFSA purchased about 985,000 tons of wheat for shipment between June and August.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Dubai and Michael Hogan in Hamburg; Writing by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Joe Bavier)