TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) bought a total of 78,732 tonnes of food-quality wheat from the United States, Canada and Australia in a regular tender that closed on Thursday.
Japan, the world's sixth-biggest wheat importer, keeps a tight grip on imports of its second-most important staple behind rice, buying the majority of the grain for milling via tenders typically issued three times a month. Details of the tender are as follows (in tonnes):
COUNTRY TYPE QUANTITY U.S. Dark Northern Spring(protein minimum 14.0 pct) 12,360 *U.S. Hard Red Winter(Semi hard) 15,470 * Canada Western Red Spring(protein minimum 13.5 pct) 29,142 * Australia Standard White(West Australia) 21,760 **Shipments: *Loading between June 1 and June 30
** Loading between August 1 and August 31 Source: Ministry of Agriculture
