The partnership between the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) and Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. (SALIC) will lead to strengthening supply chains across the Kingdom, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, and SALIC Chairman, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, said in a statement.
The partnership will contribute to enhancing the food distribution networks across the region by importing, processing, exporting, and storing grain, he added.
Furthermore, the establishment of a terminal for handling grains at Yanbu Commercial Port will contribute to providing basic food products and stabilizing prices in the Kingdom, which is principally related to global production and consumption rates, movement of commercial freight, and net global inventories of essential food commodities.
The new terminal comes in line with SALIC’ strategic objectives, as the company targets more than 50% of the import coverage rate for all strategic commodities, which corresponds to the Kingdom’s food security strategy, Al-Fadhli pointed out.
On the other hand, Bahri’s Chairman Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Sarhan said that the entry of four new dry-bulk carriers before the end of this year will enable Bahri to transport 5 million tons annually to the Kingdom of various kinds of grains, such as barley, corn, wheat, soy, and others.
The company operates according to a balanced policy between demand and supply, by meeting needs and harnessing data to efficiently manage its fleet, he noted.
Bahri aims to seize new expansion opportunities to provide value-added diversified services in cooperation with national economic entities across the Kingdom, as well as business development in the vital sectors.
Earlier in the day, Bahri announced the signing of an agreement with SALIC to establish an equally owned joint venture (JV), the National Grain Co., at an estimated cost of SAR 412.5 million ($110 million).
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