KARACHI, April 14: The Trading Corporation of Pakistan on Friday issued a tender to buy 50,000 tons of refined sugar, with shipment due in June and bids to be submitted on April 22, a company spokesman said.

The corporation had earlier this week issued another tender for the import of a similar quantity of sugar from worldwide sources. That tender will be opened on April 15.

The spokesman said only 17 pre-qualified foreign firms would be allowed to participate in the tender and the winning bidder would make shipments within four weeks of the opening of a letter of credit.

The TCP has been regularly buying sugar from the international market after a government estimate that the country would need at least 800,000 tons of imports in 2006 to meet domestic demand.—Reuters