Iraq's state grain board has provisionally purchased about 150,000 tonnes of rice from Pakistan and India in an international tender for at least 30,000 tonnes which closed on December 18 with offers remaining valid until December 22, European traders said on Tuesday. It was for shipment between late January and February 2012.
The award was said to have been split between four trading houses. A range of prices was paid with the lowest said to be $512.63 a tonne c&f liner out.
"The tender awards were provisional and depending on quality tests being accepted," one trader said. "Indian and Pakistani prices are currently highly-competitive in export markets but there are some quality concerns." Iraq bought 120,000 tonnes of rice from India and Pakistan in its last tender reported on December 7, with floods in Thailand restricting supplies from a traditional supply country.
But Iraq has been rejecting rice samples sent by suppliers in the December 7 purchase, traders said. As shipments can only start when samples are accepted, the status of the December 7 purchases is unclear, traders said.