Saudi Arabia, UAE ship new batch of wheat to Sudan
October 12, 2019 (KHARTOUM) — Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they shipped a new batch of 200,000 tonnes of wheat to Sudan.
Last April the two countries announced a three-billion aid package to Sudan including $500 million deposit into the Central Bank and the rest will be in the form of food, medicine, and petroleum products including 540,000 tonnes of wheat.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia already shipped 340 tonnes of wheat to Sudan including 140,000 tonnes in August 2019, 200,000 tonnes in September 2019.
“The food aid over the past three months has strengthened Sudan’s food security and economic stability that are among the core priorities of the Sudanese government,” said Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, (ADFD) in statements to the Emirates news agency last Friday.
Sudan’s finance minister Ibrahim al-Badawi announced last Tuesday from Abu Dhabi that his government has received half of the $ 3 billion aid.
In addition to the $500 million deposit, he said they received $ 1 billion worth of petroleum products, wheat and products used by the agricultural sector.
He added that his country will continue to receive the remaining half of the joint grant until the end of 2020 in line with a programmed schedule agreed by the parties.
(ST)