Iraq, one of the largest grain importers in the Middle East, has expressed its willingness to import Russian wheat into government procurement tenders.
Iraqi Minister of Commerce Mohammad Hashim al-Ani said that a delegation would head to Russia to study the suitability of its wheat for use in the subsidized food program in Iraq.
Baghdad spends billions of dollars a year on a program to provide bread and other commodities at subsidized prices.
Iraq is currently importing wheat from the United States, Australia and Canada, but after Russia became the world's top exporter of wheat in the last few years and expanded its markets in North Africa and the Middle East, Baghdad has begun to consider the import of Russian wheat.
For its part, a spokeswoman for the Russian Agricultural Control Agency, Russia's readiness to meet the needs of Iraq's grain, noting that an Iraqi delegation is expected to visit Russia by the end of this year to discuss the quality of Russian grain.
Earlier, Russia's Agriculture Ministry said the country exported about 35 million tons of grain last year, up 44 percent from the same period last year.
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Iraqi Minister of Commerce Mohammad Hashim al-Ani said that a delegation would head to Russia to study the suitability of its wheat for use in the subsidized food program in Iraq.
Baghdad spends billions of dollars a year on a program to provide bread and other commodities at subsidized prices.
Iraq is currently importing wheat from the United States, Australia and Canada, but after Russia became the world's top exporter of wheat in the last few years and expanded its markets in North Africa and the Middle East, Baghdad has begun to consider the import of Russian wheat.
For its part, a spokeswoman for the Russian Agricultural Control Agency, Russia's readiness to meet the needs of Iraq's grain, noting that an Iraqi delegation is expected to visit Russia by the end of this year to discuss the quality of Russian grain.
Earlier, Russia's Agriculture Ministry said the country exported about 35 million tons of grain last year, up 44 percent from the same period last year.
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