Browse Data and Analysis

Continuing economic growth; increasing tourism; a healthy hotel, restaurant, and institutional sector; and a growing population will lead the UAE’s wheat and rice consumption to grow in the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY).

Israel will continue to rely on imported feed and grains as it uses land and water resources for more cash crops. Due to poor weather conditions, Post forecasts Israel’s marketing year 2025/26 wheat production down (due to poor weather conditions) and imports up as production was limited.

Highly favorable winter growing conditions set Tunisia up for a well above average 2025 harvest. The wheat and barley crops have developed very well entering the most critical growing period in April.

Despite heavy rains in March, the 2025 wheat crop will be below the 10-year average. Production will be slightly higher than the drought impacted levels of 2024, but hot and dry weather early in the growing season and less area planted will limit total wheat production.

Egypt’s wheat imports for marketing year 2025/26 are estimated at 13.0 million metric tons, unchanged from Post’s estimate in the previous marketing year which was revised upward by 4 percent due to the availability of forex contributing to an increase in imports.

Post anticipates that Algeria’s wheat and barley production will remain stable in the 2025/26 season. Post forecasts Algeria’s wheat imports at above 9 million metric tons (MMT) in the current and next season.

Total Saudi wheat imports for 2025/26 are forecast to decline 10 percent to 3.2 million metric tons (MMT), due to projected high local production. Saudi barley imports for MY 2025/26 are projected to increase by 10 percent to 3.3 MMT compared to last MY.

Jordan, a Middle Eastern country with limited arable land and severe water scarcity, heavily relies on grain imports to meet domestic consumption needs.

The Government of Morocco continues to subsidize bread wheat imports based on a fixed flat-rate premium.

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).

The Government of Morocco has released its final wheat and barley production numbers for the 2024 crop, including 1.77 MMT of common wheat, 0.70 MMT of durum wheat, and 0.65 MMT of barley, about 43 percent down from the previous year’s crop.