Turkey's state grain board TMO has issued a series of international tenders to purchase a total of about 130,000 tonnes of milling wheat to be sourced from the European Union, European traders said on Friday. The tenders close on March 8, they said.
A total of 13 separate tenders each seeking 10,000 tonnes have been issued by the TMO, they said. Rapid shipment was sought between March 15 and 25, 2017.
Turkey's wheat crop last summer was of a reasonable size but there is a lack of high quality milling wheat, traders said. Russian supplies of high quality wheat are also tight, so Turkey is turning to the EU.
Only wheat of EU origin can be offered in the new tenders and one loading port and one EU member country of origin must be declared in the signing of the final contract.
Offers must be made in Turkish lira on a c&f basis including shipping costs to Turkey.
The TMO traditionally undertakes several negotiating rounds after receiving the initial offers to achieve lower prices.
In its last reported tender on January 13, the TMO bought 99,000 tonnes of EU-origin milling wheat.