Bakeries should use flour sparingly and prevent wastage because government subsidizes bread production in the country, an official from the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO) said here recently.

Waleed El-Khereiji, director general of the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO), said the organization intends to privatize flour mills and bakeries to introduce competition in the market.

He said the organization had issued strict orders to all bakeries and pastry shops across the Kingdom to use dough sparingly and not waste because government subsidizes bread production, he told a local newspaper.

“Lately bakeries have started to produce bread every six hours,” he said, referring to the fact that bread can be eaten up to 24 hours after production. “We urge them to rationalize the consumption of flour.”

He said the GSFMO had conducted field surveys to elicit public opinion on the bakery and pastry sector.

One of the main objectives of the organization, El-Khereiji said, was to promote privatization of mills. “The goal is to promote and develop the process of bread-making by introducing competition in the field,” he said.

Commenting on the annual consumption of flour in the Kingdom, he said: “Consumption last year was 2.4 million tons, but we expect that to increase to 2.5 million tons by the end of this year.”

He said the state’s flour stock was more than two million sacks of flour. “This can immediately be pumped into the market whenever necessary,” he said, adding that the holdings go up to three million sacks during Umrah and Haj seasons.

The organization was implementing three integrated projects for storing wheat, and was establishing mills at Jamjoom, Jazan and Ahsa, in addition to the expansion projects to receive imported wheat at the ports of Yanbu, Dhabaa and the Eastern Province.

El-Khereiji said that the initiative of King Abdullah for agri-investments abroad was aimed at boosting food production, which would ultimately lead to food security in the Kingdom.