Japan skips food wheat purchase tender this week

    TOKYO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Japan's Ministry of Agriculture 
will not buy food quality wheat via a regular tender this week, 
but plans to conduct tenders over the following three weeks in 
January, an official at the bureau said on Wednesday. 
    The ministry usually seeks food wheat from the United 
States, Canada and Australia via tenders it announces on the 
first three Tuesdays of every month and closes on the first 
three Thursdays. 
    The official said the tender was being skipped because much 
of Japan has just returned to work this week after New Year 
holidays last week. 
    Japan, the world's sixth-biggest wheat importer, keeps a 
tight grip on imports of the country's second most important 
staple after rice and buys the majority of the grain for milling 
via the tenders. 
 
 (Reporting by James Topham; Editing by Joseph Radford) 
 ((james.topham@thomsonreuters.com)(+813 6441 1858)(Reuters 
Messaging: james.topham.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: JAPAN WHEAT/TENDER