Iraq expects to procure “good” amount of wheat locally if rainfall continues, state buyer says

Iraq expects to procure “good” quantities of wheat locally this season if favourable rainfall levels continue, allowing the country to buy less wheat internationally, the chairman of the state grains buyer told Reuters on Thursday.

Iraq imported 800,000 tonnes of wheat since October, Haidar Nouri said.

Iraq is keen to buy wheat now that prices have cooled after the resumption of grain exports from Russia and Ukraine, Nouri added, saying that now was the best time to buy as it coincides with Australia’s harvest.

The country is a major Middle East grain importer and consumes around 4.6 million tonnes of wheat annually.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Moayad Kenany; Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Clauda Tanios and Alison Williams)