TOKYO, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Japan's Ministry of Agriculture said it was seeking to buy a total of 20,580 tonnes of feed wheat and barley in a regular tender that will close on Tuesday, while it continues to halt simultaneous buy and sell (SBS) auctions.
This is the second round of such tender after Japan halted its SBS auction used for imports of feed wheat and some food wheat since the middle of October to improve transparency. date has been set for the resumption of the SBS auction, a ministry official said.
The ministry is also seeking to buy a total of 21,096 tonnes of food quality wheat in the same tender to meet demand from buyers for those grains that are usually imported via SBS auctions.
Japan, the world's sixth-biggest wheat importer, keeps a tight grip on imports of the country's second most important staple after rice and buys the majority of the grain for milling via regular tenders typically issued three times a month which have not been affected by the review of the SBS auction scheme.
Details of the tender are as follows (in tonnes):
COUNTRY TYPE
Quantity
Shipment Arrival by
n/a
feed wheat
20,330
Dec 31
n/a
feed wheat
250
Dec 31 Canada Western Amber Durum
11,050
Jan 20 Canada
Western Six-Row
6,600
Dec 28
U.S.
Waxy Hullless
1,120
Jan 15
U.S.
Two Row
990
Jan 15
U.S.
Sixth Row
546
Jan 31 Canada
Western Hullless
430
Dec 15 Canada
Western Hullless
270
Jan 31 Canada
Western Two-Row
90
Dec 10
Total
41,676
Source: Ministry of Agriculture