Bangladesh gets offers in 50,000 T wheat purchase tender

DHAKA: Bangladesh's state grains buyer received the lowest offer of $290.94 a tonne C&F liner out in an international tender on Tuesday to purchase and import 50,000 tonnes of wheat, sources in the purchasing agency said.

The wheat is expected to be sourced from Russia. No purchase has yet been made and the offers are still being considered. The offer was submitted by trading house Swiss Singapore Overseas.

Two other offers were submitted in the tender. Trading house Agrocorp offered $298.19 a tonne C&F liner out and Aston offered $294.47 a tonne.

The price includes shipping, insurance and ship unloading costs. All the offers were for 50,000 tonnes.

Wheat with 12.5 percent protein content was sought for shipment 40 days after contract signing, traders said. The tender had sought wheat from any worldwide country apart from Israel.

A report from the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in December estimated Bangladesh's wheat import requirements in the current 2018/19 season at a record of around 6 million tonnes, 34 percent above the previous five-year average following steady increases since 2012/13.

The strong demand for wheat reflects a shift in consumers' diet preferences towards bread as well as the increased use of wheat as a substitute for more expensive rice, the FAO said.

In Bangladesh's last reported wheat purchase on Dec. 24, trading house Aston won a tender to supply 50,000 tonnes of wheat after submitting the lowest offer of $284.05 a tonne c&f free out.