SAUDI ARABIA (11 February)
Growing conditions for the 2004/05 wheat and barley crops due for harvest from April have improved due to recent precipitation. Production of wheat in 2004 is estimated at 1.6 million tonnes, about 20 percent below the previous year. Imports of coarse grains (mainly barley and maize) in 2004/05 (July/June) are forecast at 7.4 million tonnes, about 2 percent above the previous year.