Egypt's state grain buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) said on Thursday it was seeking cargoes of 25,000 tonnes of rice, plus or minus 5 percent, in an international purchasing tender. GASC said it was seeking short grain milled white rice of any origin, with 10-12 percent broken parts. The deadline for offers, to be submitted on a cost, insurance and freight (CIF) basis, is Nov. 12 and the rice is for arrival January 1-31. "Every supplier should submit four samples, each two kilograms, of their rice alongside their offer for testing," Ahmed Youssef, vice chairman of GASC, said. One of the samples will be sent to the Ministry of Agriculture for a cooking test, and only samples that pass the test will be considered. "We need to determine how suitable the rice is for our consumers' taste," he said. Results for the tender will not be announced on the same day. Further details on the rules and specifications are available in a booklet as of Thursday, Youssef said. Traditionally a rice exporter, Egypt is estimated to need around 500,000 tonnes of imported rice this season as it reduces local production to conserve water. Earlier this year, Cairo decreed that only 724,000 feddans (750,000 acres) of rice could be planted with the grain in 2018, which grain traders estimate is less than half of the 1.8 million feddans cultivated in 2017. Source: Reuters
