Secretary-General of the Shoura Council Muhammad Al-Ghamdi told reporters that being a signatory to such a convention would enable the Kingdom to promote international grain trade. “It would also help respond to emergency situations to ship foods and also promote global food security,” Al-Ghamdi noted.
The secretary-general said dates are not included in the IGC's list of food items under the Food Aid Convention of 1999. “We request that concerned Saudi authorities make a request to the IGC to add dates to their list of food items,” he said.
The current Grains Trade Convention applies to trade in wheat, coarse grains, corn, barley, sorghum and rice. The IGC consists of all parties to the Grains Trade Convention.
The Shoura also backed an agreement between the Kingdom and Uzbekistan in the fight against terrorism and organized crime. Al-Ghamdi said the members felt that such an agreement would strengthen the Kingdom's bilateral trade with Uzbekistan.
