RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — National Grain Co., a joint venture between the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. (SALIC) and Bahri, has signed an agreement to build a grains terminal in Yanbu Commercial Port in Saudi Arabia. HAIF Trading & Construction has been enlisted to build the grain terminal.

Under terms of the agreement, the first phase of the project will include construction of a new grains terminal with a storage capacity of 156,000 tonnes to accommodate 12 silos with a total capacity of 96,000 tonnes and a flat warehouse with a capacity of 60,000 tonnes. The terminal also will include a 650-meter conveyor belt, unloading equipment with 800 tonnes per hour of discharge capacity, and a dedicated area for loading trucks and packaging. The terminal also will be designed to handle, store and distribute up to 3 million tonnes of grains annually, including barley, corn and soybeans, the company said.

Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, the minister of environment, water and agriculture and chairman of SALIC, said the grains terminal will be the first regional center for grains in the commercial port of Yanbu. It is expected that the new terminal will help accelerate the origination and discharge of grains to Saudi Arabia and enhance supply chain capabilities.

SALIC was formed in 2011 to secure food supplies for Saudi Arabia through mass production and investments. The National Grains Co. was formed in August 2020 to contribute to achieving a food security strategy.