Jordan buys 100,000 tonnes milling wheat; Russians absent

Jordan buys 100,000 tonnes milling wheat; Russians absent

Egypt-eyes-Georgias-Poti-port-to-ship-Kazakh-wheat

Jordan's state grain buyer has bought 100,000 tonnes of wheat in an international tender for the same volume that closed on Wednesday, a trade ministry official said, while a trader said the grain appeared to be from Ukraine.

September 13, 2012 10:21 by Reuters

Jordan’s state grain buyer has bought 100,000 tonnes of wheat in an international tender for the same volume that closed on Wednesday, a trade ministry official said, while a trader said the grain appeared to be from Ukraine.

Traders said Russian dealers, previously dominant in sales to markets such as Jordan, were absent from the tender.

The milling wheat was purchased from Nibulon at a price of $360 a tonne on a cost and freight basis, the official said.

Of the total, 50,000 tonnes are for shipment during the second half of December and the remaining 50,000 tonnes for shipment during the first half of January, the official added.

“This purchase looks pretty certain to be from Ukraine,” a trader said.

Traders said other offers per tonne c&f in the tender were: Glencore at $393, Toepfer $416, Olam $420, Arab Mashrek $360, Midgulf $373, Ameropa $377.70.

Rising Russian wheat prices after drought damage to the harvest and speculation the Moscow government will restrict grain exports has suddenly weakened Russia’s domination of export markets.

“Only a matter of weeks ago Russian wheat was routinely cleaning up the business in tenders such as from Jordan and Egypt,” one trader said. “Russia looks like having hardly any exportable surplus from November and is increasingly out of the market.”

Egypt had received only moderate offers for Russian wheat in a tender on Wednesday, turning mostly to French and Ukrainian wheat.

(Reporting By Maha El Dahan, additional reporting by Michael Hogan in Hamburg; Editing by Anthony Barker)