Saudi's Wheat production dries up.

[sumdumguy]

Bloomberg report "the Rise and Fall of Saudi Wheat Production" informs that Saudi Arabia will import all of its wheat in 2016 completely reversing their long-term plan for self-sufficiency. Drought has caused the government yo shut down the farms that all depended on irrigation.

[boarderbloke]

Weren't they also getting big into barley production?

[pourfarmer]

Farming in the desert

http://www.slideshare.net/hirud/almarai

[dmlfarmer]

Right on schedule. The plan to end domestic wheat production in SA started back in 2008. Two years ago the UK daily news reported SA was going to stop buying domestically produced wheat and import all wheat needed by 2016.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-2869259/Saudi-end-domestic-wheat-purchases.html

And in 2012 SALIC was formed with the primary goal of feeding SA through agricultural investment in other countries. Right on SALIC website it states: "SALIC’s long-term vision is to follow Saudi Arabia’s tried and tested formula of establishing a company with the initial capital provided by the government and function as an independent corporation to achieve its basic objective of contributing to food security through profitable global investments." Make no mistake food security is for Saudi mouths.

It still burns me that our government gave the CWB, a respected international marketing agency (except by Canadian farmers) to a foreign government agency whose primary goal is sourcing foods for its own needs. This is not a grain company selling for Canadian farmers, it is a buyer for SA needs.

[Robertbarlage]

and let them pay for it ! you can still haul anywhere you want . Its Called competition.

[tweety]

Can you imagine all the trade offs and behind closed door deals that went into this with the cdn government over the last 7 or 8 years to ensure SA food security? Mind boggling.

[binthere]

what ever do you mean tweety? like canada importing cheap s.a. oil in exchange for cheap grain at the expense of canadas oil industry, with no benefit to consumers.
follow the money.

[furrowtickler]

Mean while here in Canada high quality , high protein , dry number one hrsw is selling at a discount to pig feed

[Braveheart]

Yes dml, who's going sell G3 this cheap grain? If they don't pay they won't play. This isn't the old CWB where confiscation rules.

[farmaholic]

It speaks volumes that the Saudis would risk national food security. What it tells me is other's can grow plenty of it and for less than they can. Probably no risk at all.