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Japan buys almost 90,000 tonnes U.S. western white via tender
TOKYO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Japan bought nearly 90,000 tonnes
of U.S. western white wheat in a tender on Thursday, marking the
first purchase of the variety by its top buyer after the
discovery of a genetically modified (GM) version of the grain in
Oregon.
Purchases by Japan, the top customer of U.S. white wheat,
may help further boost prices for the grade used to make
confectionaries, as it joins South Korea and other big buyers in
resuming imports that where halted after the GM discovery.
Japan, the world's sixth-biggest wheat importer bought a
total 178,212 tonnes of food wheat from the United States,
Canada and Australia, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture
said.
The ministry included about three times more western white
than it normally takes in the tender - typically issued three
times a month - to replenish stocks after the halt in imports.
Japan's farm minister on Tuesday said the nation would
resume purchases of western white after putting safeguards in
place to deal with any future findings of GM wheat.
This week's tender included western white for the first time
since Japan abruptly canceled its inclusion in a tender on May
30, following the revelation of the GM finding. Japan usually
imports around 800,000 tonnes of the grade annually.
Details of this week's tender result are as follows:
COUNTRY TYPE QUANTITY
U.S. Western White 35,680 tonnes
Western White 23,635 tonnes
Western White 30,264 tonnes
Dark Northern Spring 31,721 tonnes
Canada Western Red Spring 23,282 tonnes
Australia Standard White 33,630 tonnes
*Shipment Requirements: Arrival by Oct. 31 for western
white. Loading between Sept. 21 and Oct. 20 for northern spring.
Arrival by Nov. 30 for western red spring. Loading between Oct.
1-31 for standard white.
(Reporting by James Topham and Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by
Aaron Sheldrick and Tom Hogue)
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