TOKYO, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Japan's Ministry of Agriculture is seeking to buy a total of 132,432 tonnes of food quality wheat from the United States and Canada in a regular tender that will close late on Thursday.
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 tenders that are issued thrice a month.
Details are as follows (in tonnes):
COUNTRY
TYPE
QUANTITY
U.S.
Western White
12,720*
Hard Red Winter
16,805*
(semi hard)
Hard Red Winter
32,900*
(semi hard)
Dark Northern Spring
39,996*
(protein minimum 14.0 pct)
Canada
Western Red Spring
30,011*
(protein minimum 12.5 pct)
Shipments:
* Loading between Feb. 21 and March 20
Source: Ministry of Agriculture