World Grain - June 2018 - 29

wheat bran and other raw materials to the country's large
integrated poultry producers with their own feed mills.
Greater feed production capacity is needed to support livestock breeding at home.
"Our barley and corn imports will have to increase
from the current levels" of 50,000 tonnes of barley -
20,000 tonnes respectively per month, he asserted.
Most sheep and goats consumed in the country are
LPSRUWHGRQWKHKRRIE\VHD.XZDLWZDVWKH¿UVWFRXQtry to import live sheep from Australia in converted
automobile transport ships. Saudi Arabia has followed
suit. Most of the imported animals are fattened and
slaughtered leading up to the Muslim feast holidays.
A more humane but probably less economical approach would be to raise the animals locally. However,
Kuwait has limited grazing during its short and intermittently rainy winters. More feed production is needed. In addition to the subsidized fuel, electricity, water
DQGÀRXUDYDLODEOHWRDOOFRQVXPHUVWKHVWDWHSURYLGHV
ration cards to its citizens. They make up only 30% to
40% of the total population due to the large number of
immigrant workers.
Kuwait imports live sheep from Australia that are
sold locally for $160 to $180. Kuwaitis get monthly ration cards that contain rice, cooking oil, skim powdered
milk, pulses and frozen chicken at a subsidized price.
FUTURE
Feed production is an opportunity, but the No. 1 task
of KFMB is to continue to expand milling and baking
capacity to satisfy the needs of a still growing population, Al Wahaibi said. More bakeries will be launched.
The company is looking to add 20,000 to 30,000 square
meters of land adjacent to its site to make room for new
www.World-Grain.com / World Grain / June 2018

plant operations. Other challenges include mechanization and automation of production processes in part to
reduce dependency on expatriate workers. For every
Kuwaiti employee of KFMB there are 20 non-Kuwaitis. The largest contingent come from Egypt followed
by India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
HISTORY
KFMB has a colorful history resulting in part from its
proximity to Iraq. The company converted to 100%
government ownership in 1987. The next year Kuwait
Bakeries Company was merged into it. Sadam Hussein's
conquest and annexation of Kuwait as Iraq's 19th province
was just two years later in August 1990. During the seven
months of occupation an Iraqi manager was appointed
to run the company, the wheat stores were emptied, and
PXFKÀRXUSURGXFWLRQZDVGLYHUWHGQRUWKZDUGVDVZHOO
Before it could be put into production, a recently commisVLRQHGYHJHWDEOHRLOUH¿QHU\ZDVGLVPDQWOHGDQGVKLSSHG
to a city in northern Iraq never to be returned.
Following the Iraq War of 2003, the UN World Food
Programme contracted with KFMB to store and supply
ZKHDWDQGSURGXFHÀRXUDQGRWKHUSURGXFWVIRUKXPDQLtarian distribution in Iraq.
Since then with KFMB as a national anchor of food security, Kuwait has continued to be a stabilizing force in
the region.

Bühler sifters are
part of the KFMB
mill in Al Shuwaikh
port in Kuwait
City. The complex
houses six milling lines totaling
2,850 tonnes of
daily capacity.

David McKee's grain industry consultancy, Key International LLC,
provides market research, feasibility analysis, technical studies
and project guidance to companies and organizations. He may be
reached at davidmckee59@msn.com.
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World Grain - June 2018

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