BEIRUT- Syria's trade ministry is seeking 50,000 tonnes of flour in an international purchasing tender, an official document seen by Reuters on Thursday said.
The deadline for offers is Dec. 19, the document said, and the flour should be supplied to Syrian ports within 50 calendar days from the date of notifying the seller with the order.
Offers should be submitted on a cost and freight basis and the payment will be settled in Syrian pounds, the document said.
Syria said on Dec. 3 it was also seeking 200,000 tonnes of wheat in an international purchasing tender with a deadline for offers of Jan. 7.
Syria used to produce upwards of 4 million tonnes of wheat in a good year and was able to export 1.5 million tonnes but its crop this year was the smallest in three decades as war and drought cut production by around 30 percent.
The fall in output has put President Bashar al-Assad's government under increasing pressure to import the grain.
(Reporting By Beirut Bureau; Writing by Maha El Dahan; editing by David Evans) ((Maha.Dahan@thomsonreuters.com; + 9712 4082101; Reuters Messaging: maha.dahan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
