BAGHDAD: Iraq issued a tender to buy a minimum of 30,000 tonnes of rice, with long-grain supplies coming from the United States, Uruguay, Argentina, or Brazil, a trade ministry statement said on Monday.

The tender is also seeking fragrant and parboiled rice from Thailand or Vietnam, the statement said.

The closing date for the tender is April 20 and offers must be valid until April 24.

Volumes in Iraq's rice tenders are nominal and the country frequently buys more than it tenders for. Iraq is one of the world's largest importers of rice, much of which goes to supply a national food rationing programme.