Aqaba port receives 63,000 tonnes of wheat

AMMAN — Aqaba port has begun unloading a cargo vessel carrying 63,000 tonnes of Romanian wheat into Aqaba silos to enhance the Kingdom’s reserves of food commodities, Industry and Trade Director in Aqaba Ibrahim Hawamdeh said on Wednesday.

Hawamdeh noted that the vessel docked in Aqaba on March 31 and a specialised committee was formed to test samples and supervise the unloading to the silos before the commodity is distributed nationwide, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Another 15 vessels are expected to arrive in Aqaba by the end of October laden with a total of 950,000 tonnes of wheat, the director said, noting that the Kingdom’s wheat reserve is sufficient for one year.

Jamal Qteitat, director of Aqaba silos, said that the storage capacity of the silos stands at 100,000 tonnes, noting that there is an expansion project which will provide as much as another 100,000 tonnes of storage capacity.