Browse Data and Analysis

Jordan continues to rely heavily on imports for essential staples such as wheat, barley, corn, and rice due to limited domestic production and scarce water resources.

Post maintains Algeria’s cereal planted area and production estimates. Post estimates robust wheat imports for MY 2023/24, surpassing nine million metric tons (MMT).

Egypt’s wheat imports for marketing year (MY) 2024/25 (July – June) are estimated at 12.5 million metric tons (MMT), up by 11.4 percent from Post’s earlier estimate, due to an increase in the availability of foreign currency to facilitate imports.

FAS/Cairo (Post) forecasts Egypt’s wheat imports in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 to increase by 2 percent from the previous marketing year, due to population growth and the availability of more foreign currency in Egyptian banks.

In MY 2024/25, Post forecasts imports by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of all wheat, rice, corn, and barley to increase to meet high local demand. Strong tourism, population growth, and expanding poultry and dairy sectors will drive this demand.

FAS/Tel Aviv (Post) forecasts Israel’s marketing year (MY) 2024/45 wheat imports to increase due a decline in domestic production, a need to increase stocks because of the Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as lower international grain prices.

With the development of several billion-dollar projects and nearly 30 million visitors a year, the future for U.S. grain exports is bright. Post anticipates Saudi rice imports to increase approximately five percent over the next several years due to expansions in the food service sector.

Jordan’s MY 2023/24 wheat imports are forecasted to reach 1.25 million MT -- with Ukraine, Romania, and Russia dominating wheat imports in the first seven months of calendar year 2023.

Egyptian marketing year (MY) 2023/24 wheat imports are estimated at 12.0 million metric tons (MMT), up by 6.9 percent from MY 2022/23 due to lower area and production.

The General Food Security Authority (GFSA), an agency of the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), purchased approximately 1.2 million metric tons (MMT) of locally produced wheat in MY2022/23.

FAS Amman (Post) forecasts Jordan’s wheat imports in MY 2023/24 to reach 1.25 million MT. The Russian war on Ukraine directly impacts Jordan, as most of Jordan's wheat and barley come from Black Sea.

Strong tourism, high petroleum rents, and an accompanying economic boom in the United Arab Emirates are forecast to grow the consumptive base and drive imports of wheat and rice higher in the coming marketing year.