Flour has Prices 19% Higher as Current for 2013

Rs 15,420 ($ 514) per tonne. This is the best offer received by the State Trading Corporation to import white flour to cover our needs for the year 2013. The STC currently pays Rs 12,960 ($ 432) for each tonne imported.

This price difference, which represents an increase of 19%, a result of the soaring price of wheat flour on the world market since the beginning of the year. Regarding the additional cost, it could be entirely absorbed by the subsidy program of the government, in part or passed to the consumer. However, no decision has been made yet. A tender evaluation is underway.

STC launched its annual call for proposals for 48 000 tonnes of flour on October 24. It concerns the supply for the period from 1 February 2013 to 31 January 2014.

Friday afternoon, the opening of the envelopes, the seven bids received were in the range of Rs 18,540 to Rs 15,420, or between $ 618 and $ 514. The lowest bid came from the Turkish company Merzifon Gulbahar. Les Moulins de la Concorde (LMLC) responded to this year with an offer of Rs 15,960 ($ 548).

However, it must be said that the company's offer includes local delivery in the warehouses of the STC. These foreign companies do not take into account the costs of unloading, handling and transfer to the warehouse. Costs amounting to about Rs 540 per tonne. But again, the price of local business is slightly higher than the price of Turkish supplier.

If the mill Mauritian aligns with the Turkish supplier prices by adding additional charges, STC will offer him a contract for 48,000 tons, representing half of the domestic demand for white flour.