Jordan has enough wheat for almost a year — official

AMMAN — Jordan’s wheat reserve is sufficient to meet the country’s demands for around a year, a Trade Ministry official said on Thursday, adding that several tenders will be floated soon to boost reserve amidst rising demand.

“We are working on increasing the reserves due to the rise in consumption in light of the presence of a large number of Syrian refugees,” the official told The Jordan Times, noting that, since the onset of the Syrian crisis, Jordan’s monthly wheat consumption has risen from 50,000 to 80,000 tonnes. 

On Thursday, Jordan floated a tender to buy 120,000 metric tonnes of wheat, with the deadline for receiving bids running through June 27,according to the official. 

“Our reserve is excellent and we have shipments en route to the Kingdom,” the official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said.

Currently, wheat reserves stand at 888,000 metric tonnes, which is enough for 11.1  months. 

Wheat consumption also witnessed an increase during Ramadan, due to a higher demand on various types of bread, the official said, stressing: “We have plans for several other tenders during the upcoming period in light of the demand."
The official said more tenders will be offered soon to buy barley as Eid Al Adha is approaching. 

On Thursday, Jordan floated a tender to buy 120,000 tonnes of barley with bids accepted until June 26. 

The barley reserve stands at over 562,000 tonnes, which is sufficient for more than nine months, the official said. Jordan consumes around 55,000 tonnes of barley per month.