The Iraq Grain Board has issued a tender to buy up to 30,000 tonnes of rice for delivery in June or July, US rice traders said on Sunday. Bids were due May 30 either free-on-board or delivered to the port of Umm Qasr.
Iraq was seeking long-grain rice from the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, Thailand, Pakistan and India, according to traders who received a tender document. Iraq's last purchase of US rice was in March for 60,000 tonnes, traders said.
Iraq has yet to finalise paperwork for 30,000 tonnes in that deal, traders said. Routine business is difficult to conduct in the war-torn countries, with officials unable to go to their offices for days at a time.
Iraq has bought 335,800 tonnes of US rice in the marketing year that started August 1, 2006. It has yet to take shipment of 60,000 tonnes, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Iraq also has a tender for 50,000 tonnes of hard milling wheat that closes on May 30. Iraq is one of the largest buyers of U.S. wheat and rice.