The Philippines took about 20,000 tonnes of U.S. northern spring wheat at around $460 a tonne, including cost and freight (C&F) and some 25,000 tonnes of U.S. soft white wheat at $355 a tonne C&F, regional traders said.

Indonesia bought 25,000 tonnes of Australian standard wheat at $370 a tonne C&F for shipment in March and April, while Malaysia took 30,000 tonnes of Australian prime wheat.

Traders said Australia supplies were tight, with no stocks of high-protein wheat available in the market after flood damage left nearly half of the nation's crop unfit for milling.

"They are asking for $360 a tonne for Australia prime wheat, FOB (free on board) and $335 for Australia standard wheat," said one trader with an international trading company in Singapore. "Buyers are looking a few dollars below these levels to strike deals."

Stocks of wheat held in bulk handlers in Australia, one of the world's top four exporters of the grain, more than doubled in December from November.

But the quality of the grain so far received from the on-going harvest has fallen drastically with 38 percent of stocks held in bulk stores classified as feed grade, compared with around 14 percent a year earlier, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Malaysia and Indonesia were in the market to take additional quantities for April and May shipments, traders said.

"They are trying to cover for forward months, even May shipment but there is no panic buying in Asia as we have seen in other parts of the world," said another trader. "Most Asian buyers are covered until March or April, so they are not really desperate for supplies."

Rising food security concerns in parts of North Africa and the Middle East and thinning European wheat supplies have propelled U.S. wheat export sales to levels not seen since drought-hit Russia shocked the market by shutting down grain exports last autumn.

Sales of wheat from the U.S., the world's top supplier, exceeded 1 million tonnes for a second consecutive week last week as seldom-seen buyers such as Jordan and Syria joined regular U.S. wheat customers like Japan and Nigeria in securing grain in a rising market.

This week, Japan's farm ministry bought 61,603 tonnes of milling wheat from Australia as planned, but found no sellers for a planned purchase of 37,110 tonnes of food wheat from Canada.

The ministry was looking to buy a total of 98,713 tonnes of food wheat through a regular tender which closed on Thursday.

In the animal feed market, India was aggressively selling corn, offering competitive prices to millers in Vietnam and Malaysia.

"They sold around 25,000 to 30,000 this week as Indian corn prices are very attractive," said head of grains business at an international trading company in Singapore. "Indians are selling at least $30 below what is being offered from Latin America."

Indian corn is being offered around $270 a tonne C&F, compared with above $300 being quoted from Argentinean cargoes.

The market is awaiting news on import tenders from the Middle East and Africa.

Iraq has tendered again for at least 100,000 tonnes more wheat from various origins, a tender which will likely result in at least some U.S. wheat purchased.

Other upcoming international wheat tenders could include Morocco and Saudi Arabia, which typically issue tenders twice or three times a year for very large volumes, traders said.