Aqaba grain silos to be expanded to double storage capacity — ADC

AMMAN — A project to double the storage capacity of the Aqaba grain silos is expected to be completed before the end of 2017, spokesperson of the state-run Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) Khalil Farrayeh said on Thursday.

Located at the Aqaba port, around 330km south of Amman, the JD29 million project will be implemented by Haif Company and Mid Contracting Co. MID, with which ADC signed an agreement to start working on the project, he told The Jordan Times.

The grain silos’ capacity will be expanded from 100,000 metric tonnes to 200,000 metric tonnes, and will be used for storing all types of grain, including wheat, barley and corn, he added.

“This is one of the strategic projects for ADC and it seeks to create a facility that is in line with international standards in this regard,” Farrayeh added.

The expansion of the silos will not only be used for storing grain temporarily or for transit, but also for preserving a strategic reserve of grain in the Kingdom, he noted.

The project entails installing equipment for the auto transfer of grain from vessels to the silos and it can also serve Jordan and neighbouring countries, he added.

According to figures by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Jordan’s monthly wheat consumption has risen from 50,000 to 80,000 tonnes since the arrival of 1.4 million Syrian refugees.

Jordan consumes around 55,000 tonnes of barley per month, according to the ministry.