N.Z., Aust, fill Saudi food gap

Press, 9 June 1986, Page 32

N.Z., Aust, fill Saudi food gap

NZPA-AP Riyadh, Saudi Arabia New Zealand and Australia increased their food sales to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks to fill the gap left by a 10-day ban on all fresh food imports from Europe in the wake of the Chernobyl reactor meltdown, shipping executives and diplomats said. In early May, the Saudi Government banned all shipments of European agricultural produce to prevent radiation-contam-inated food from entering the country. In mid-May, the ban was modified, barring all East European food products, but allowing West European food to enter the country if the shipment was accompanied by a Government certificate

attesting the food free from radiation.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, estimate that tens of millions of dollars in food was lost, either because it was turned back to Europe or spoiled. The ban hit the country during the Muslim month of Ramadan, when food consumption increases as Muslims feast at night after breaking a dawn-to-dusk fast. The kingdom, like the rest of the Gulf countries, depends on imports for most of its foodstuffs. European diplomats said food from New Zealand and Australia had the lion’s share in filling the gap created by the ban on European goods.