Algeria issues tender for milling wheat, traders say

Algeria’s state grains agency OAIC has issued an international tender to buy milling wheat to be sourced from optional origins, European traders said on Sunday.

The tender sought a nominal 50,000 metric tons but Algeria often buys considerably more in its tenders than the nominal volume indicated.

The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is Tuesday, Dec. 24, with offers having to remain valid until Wednesday, Dec. 25.

The wheat is sought for shipment in the following periods from the main supply regions, including Europe: Feb. 1-15, Feb. 16-28, March 1-15 and March 16-31. If sourced from South America or Australia, shipment is one month earlier.

In its last full-scale milling wheat tender in late October, OAIC was estimated by traders to have booked around 600,000 tons for shipment in December.

Algeria for years sourced most of its imported wheat from France. But Russian and other Black Sea region exporters have been expanding in the market, a trend amplified by the apparent sidelining of French supplies in OAIC’s tenders since early October amid diplomatic tensions between Algiers and Paris.

OAIC, which does not release details of its tenders, has said that it treats all suppliers equally.

Tags: tender, price, milling wheat, OAIC, Algeria