Saudi Arabia's SAGO announces first barley tender

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest importers of barley, said on Thursday it was seeking to buy 960,000 tonnes of the grain in an international purchase tender. The Kingdom's main grain importing agency, the Saudi Grains Organization (SAGO), said the tender, the first of its kind to be announced since assuming responsibility for handling feed barley imports, would be for delivery January to March.
The deadline for offers is Friday, it said in a statement. The 960,000-tonne purchase will include 16 to 20 cargoes of 60,000 tonnes and/or 45,000 tonnes, Ahmed al-Fares, SAGO's governor said. The shipments will be distributed to Saudi ports with 780,000 tonnes arriving at the Red Sea and 180,000 tonnes at the Gulf.