Japan tenders to buy 42,908 tonnes Canadian food wheat

    TOKYO, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Japan's Ministry of Agriculture is 
seeking to buy a total of 42,908 tonnes of June-loading Canadian 
Western Red Spring wheat in atypical tender to meet demand from 
Japanese millers, a farm ministry official said on Friday. 
    The tender follows its purchase of 286,091 tonnes of food 
wheat from the United States, Canada and Australia in a regular 
tender that closed on Friday.    
    Japan, the world's sixth-biggest wheat importer, typically 
buys about 20,000-30,000 tonnes each of the five grades of food 
quality wheat from the three countries in tenders typically 
issued three times a month. 
    But the country has been ramping up its purchases of 
Canadian wheat used for making bread and noodles this year in a 
move to offset the possibility of extended shipping delays from 
Canada. 
    The tender for the additional Canadian wheat will close next 
Wednesday. 
     
    Details are as follows (in tonnes): 
    COUNTRY           TYPE                         QUANTITY 
    Canada            Western Red Spring            23,560* 
                      (protein minimum 12.5 pct) 
                      Western Red Spring            19,348* 
                      (protein minimum 12.5 pct) 
    Shipments: *Arrival by July 31 
    Source: Ministry of Agriculture  
 
 (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier) 
 ((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-6441-1798; Reuters 
Messaging: yuka.obayashi.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: JAPAN WHEAT/TENDER