State-owned trading agency PEC has invited bids to import 13,000 tonnes of pulses of various varieties.
The tender dated June 4 closes on June 11 and a decision on the bids will be taken on June 18, PEC said in a notice on its website.
The agency intends to import 4,000 tonnes of desi chick peas sourced from Australia and Tanzania from both 2009 and 2010 crop years, 4,000 tonnes of urad FAQ and 2,000 tonnes of urad SQ varieties sourced from Myanmar grown in 2010.
Furthermore, the tender invites bids for importing 2,000 tonnes of green moong (FAQ variety) sourced from Tanzania, Kenya, and Australia, and 1,000 tonnes of green moong (Pedishwa variety) grown in Myanmar, in 2010.
The consignments should be shipped to Mumbai and Chennai ports between June 20 and July 31, the tender notice specified.
The country is estimated to have produced 14.77 million tonnes of pulses in 2009-10 crop year.
However, the annual demand is of 18-19 million tonnes and the deficit is met through imports. State-run trading agencies like MMTC, STC, PEC and Nafed carry out these imports on behalf of the government.
