South Korea's state-run Agricultural and Fishery Marketing Corporation said on Monday it had bought 12,767 tonnes of Chinese milled rice via a tender closed last week.
The agency agreed to buy 6,383 tonnes of No 1 rice at $568.45 a tonne and another 6,384 tonnes of No 3 rice at $530.88 from Daiwa International, an official at the company said. Arrival was set for May 25.
The tender was to meet part of the country's 2005 import quota under a World Trade Organisation agreement. In 2004, South Korea agreed with leading rice-exporting countries to import rice, but the purchases have been delayed because of opposition from farmers to its rice market.
For the 2005 quota, South Korea has to import 22,575 tonnes of milled rice from the United States, China, Thailand and Australia to sell directly in shops for the first time.
So far Seoul has bought 18,271 tonnes of milled rice including 5,504 tonnes of US rice after passing tenders several times because of high prices.
South Korean consumers will be able to buy imported rice directly in shops from April, according to the agriculture ministry.
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