ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) issued a tender on Friday to import 500,000 tons of wheat.

Bids from pre-qualified foreign suppliers, who can supply wheat from world-wide origins, should be received by December 20 and will be opened the same day, the corporation said in a notice posted on its website.

The agency did not specify the kind of wheat sought, but a senior Food Ministry official told Reuters the tender was “open country, no colour basis”.

“There is not much difference in prices of red and white wheat in the market these days and some may like to sell white wheat close to prices of red wheat,” said the ministry official, who declined to be identified.

In the case of white wheat, traders in Karachi said Russia could be the origin as its wheat was cheapest. If not from Russia, it could come from France, Canada or Bulgaria, they said.

In May, Pakistan announced plans to import 2.5 million tons of wheat this year for stocks after the 2007-08 crop fell to 21.8 million tons, short of a target of 24 million tons.

The import target was later increased to 3.5 million tons.

The country has already bought or contracted to buy 1.76 million tons of wheat, and the Food Ministry said this week it would complete the initial 2.5 million tons wheat import target by December 31, meaning it is likely to buy more wheat this month.—Reuters