Japan Buys 69,315 Tons Food Wheat, 26,976 Tons Barley in Tender

Japan bought 69,315 metric tons of food wheat and 26,976 tons of food barley today through a tender system introduced to loosen government grain-import controls.

The shipments must be made by May 31, said Masafumi Otsuka at the grain-trade division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Of the total wheat, 39,780 tons were fromCanada and 29,000 tons were from Australia and the remaining volume was from the U.S. and France. Of the total barley, 25,000 tons were from Australia and the rest was from Germany.

The tender was held under the so-called simultaneous buy- and-sell system, in which food makers and trading companies jointly bid for grains of any origin and quality.

(Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-18/japan-buys-69-315-tons-food-wheat-26-976-tons-barley-in-tender.html)