Japan buys lowest milling wheat volume in a month

Japan bought 141,567 metric tonnes of milling wheat from the US, Canada and Australia in a regular tender today, the smallest volume in a month, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.

Shipment is set from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30, according to Ryou Okajima at the ministry’s grain trade division. It was the third tender for wheat imports in about a week, as the government delayed purchases until Japanese flour millers decided how much they would buy under a system that will replace state stockpiling on Oct. 1.

The ministry, which controls overseas purchases and domestic sales of wheat to stabilize supply, is Asia’s largest buyer as a single entity. It has bought 1.73 million tonnes of milling wheat this fiscal year, compared with 4.26 million tonnes of purchase for the year ended March 31.