Japan Seeks to Buy Least Milling Wheat in Two Weeks

Japan is seeking to buy 164,574 metric tons of milling wheat from the U.S. and Canada in a regular tender on Feb. 10, the smallest volume in two weeks, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.

Shipment is set from April 1 to April 30, according to Toshiki Tojo at the ministry’s grain-trade division. The volume sought is the smallest since Jan. 27, when the government bought 61,603 tons.

The ministry, which controls overseas purchases and domestic sales of wheat to stabilize supply, is Asia’s largest buyer as a single entity. It has bought 4.44 million tons this fiscal year through regular tenders, surpassing the 4.26 million tons in the year to March 31.

Details of this week’s tender are listed below:

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Wheat Exporter      Grade                         Metric Tons
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U.S.                Hard Red Winter               39,383
                    Dark Northern Spring          85,037
Canada              Western Red Spring            40,154
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(Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-08/japan-seeks-to-buy-least-milling-wheat-in-two-weeks-update1-.html)