Algeria tenders to buy 50,000 tonnes of durum wheat

Algeria's state grain buyer is tendering to buy 50,000 tonnes of optional origin durum wheat for shipment in January 1-15, European traders said on Tuesday. The bidding deadline was on Tuesday, they said. Grains should come from Canada, the United States or any other origin to be specified, traders said.
The tender comes just two months after the government ordered private importers to pay a $200 fee, backdated to August 1, for each tonne of durum wheat they imported, a measure aimed at encouraging consumption of local grain. "This come as a big surprise," a French trader said, noting that the government had said it did not need to import durum. Traders believed the Algerian state buyer aimed at increasing the quality of its durum stocks after increasing complaints by semolina makers. Algeria, the world's fifth biggest grain importer, has large stocks of durum wheat after a record harvest in 2009, and an above average crop this year.