National Grain Company, a joint venture between Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (Salic) and Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, has awarded a contract to Haif Trading & Construction Company for building a grain terminal at Yanbu Commercial Port.
Among the most ancient ports on the Red Sea, Yanbu is located about halfway between Jeddah Islamic Port and King Fahad Industrial Port to the south and Dhuba Port to the north. Its strategic importance comes from the fact that the port is a main gateway to Medinah.
As per the contract signed in the presence of Engineer Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al Fadley, the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Haif will build the grain terminal in Yanbu Commercial Port with a storage capacity of 156,000 tonnes in the first phase.
It will consist of 12 silos with a total capacity of 96,000 tonnes and a flat warehouse with a capacity of 60,000 tonnes.
The terminal will also include a conveyor belt with a length of 650 m, unloading equipment with 800 tonnes per hour of discharge capacity, and a dedicated area for loading trucks and packaging, leveraging the latest technologies, said the statement from National Grain Company.
National Grain Company was set up by leading Saudi groups Salic and Bahri in 2020 to help contribute to achieving the food security strategy.
On completion, the Yanbu grain terminal will be able to handle, store, and distribute up to 3 million tonnes of grains annually, including barley, corn and soybeans, it stated.
National Grain Company Chairman Nasser Abdulrahman Al Issa and Haif Trading & Construction Company CEO Engineer Mansour bin Haif sealed the agreement at a key ceremony held in Riyadh.
It was attended by Saudi Grains Organization Governor Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al Fares, Salic CEO Engineer Sulaiman bin Abdulrahman Al Rumaih and Bahri CEO Engineer Abdullah Ali Al Dubaikhi.
Speaking at the ceremony, Al Fadley said the project is aimed at accelerating the origination and discharge of the essential grains to the kingdom through this terminal, which will be the first regional centre for grains in the commercial port of Yanbu.
"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," stated the minister.
"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," he added.-TradeArabia News Service