Saudis to phase out wheat production by 2016
What started as an ambitious dream, for a desert nation bereft of rivers and lakes to become self-sufficient in wheat, became a reality with the aid of billions of dollars from the first oil boom in the 1970s. Today, however, Saudi Arabia is preparing to phase out production by 2016. The volte-face could make the Gulf nation one of the world's top 15 importers of the cereal, even as countries across the globe grapple with high wheat prices.