RIYADH — Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Chairman of SALIC Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli has witnessed Wednesday the signing of a construction agreement between National Grain Company and HAIF Trading & Construction Company.

Also present were Eng. Ahmad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Fares, the Governor of the Saudi Grains Organization, Eng. Sulaiman Bin Abdulrahman Al-Rumaih, CEO of SALIC and Eng. Abdullah Ali Al-Dubaikhi, CEO of Bahri.

The contract was signed by the National Grain Company Chairman Nasser Abdulrahman Al-Issa and the HAIF Trading & Construction Company CEO Eng. Mansour Bin Haif. Under the contract, the HAIF will construct a grain terminal in Yanbu Commercial Port with a storage capacity of 156,000 tons in the first phase, consisting of 12 silos with a total capacity of 96,000 tons and a flat warehouse with a capacity of 60,000 tons.

The terminal will also include a conveyor belt with a length of 650 meters, unloading equipment with 800 tons per hour of discharge capacity, and a dedicated area for loading trucks and packaging, leveraging the latest technologies. The terminal is designed to handle, store, and distribute up to 3 million tons of grains annually, including barley, corn and soybeans.

Eng. Al-Fadhli emphasized that the project aims to accelerate the origination and discharge of the essential grains to the Kingdom through this terminal, which will be the first regional center for grains in the commercial port of Yanbu. He indicated that SALIC relies on the diversification of ports’ geographical location and infrastructures to enhance the food distribution in the region by connecting the Kingdom with the global sources of grains.

In addition, the terminal contributes to importing, transporting, and distributing grains by enhancing the supply chains capabilities in Saudi Arabia and providing logistic support for all importers from the public and private sectors. It is worth highlighting that SALIC and Bahri signed a joint venture agreement in August 2020 to establish the National Grains Company to contribute to achieving the food security strategy. — SPA