HAMBURG- Turkey's state grain board TMO has issued an international tender to purchase about 235,000 tonnes of animal feed barley, European traders said on Tuesday.

The deadline for submission of price offers is Oct. 26.

Shipment is sought between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20.

A series of consignments of are sought for unloading in the Turkish ports of Derince, Iskenderun, Mersin, Izmir, Bandirma, Tekirdag, Samsun and Trabzon.

Barley already in warehouses in Turkey can be offered in the tender. Traders say exporters have shipped Russian grains in advance of sales into Turkey to escape repeated rises in Russia's gain export taxes. 

The TMO reserves the right to buy up to 5% more or less than the tender volume at its own discretion, the traders said.

The tenders continue recent brisk grain import demand from Turkey to ensure good domestic supplies with traders saying the country’s crops suffered drought damage.

A separate tender from the TMO to buy around 300,000 tonnes of milling wheat closes on Oct. 21.

(Reporting by Michael Hogan; Editing by Edmund Blair) ((michael.j.hogan@thomsonreuters.com; +49 172 671 36 54; Reuters Messaging: michael.hogan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))