ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's finance ministry said on Monday it approved the import of 450,000 tonnes of wheat from Russia ahead of the next crop season, which might be delayed because of the impact of floods this year.

The Russian wheat will be purchased on a government-to-government basis in the February to March period, the ministry said in a statement.

It said the ministry's Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), which met under Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, approved the offer from the Russian state firm Prodintorg at $372 per tonne.

Under an award given earlier, the ECC also approved the lowest bid from M/s Cereal Crop Trading LLC at a rate of $372 per tonne for supply of 130,000 tonnes at Karachi port for the shipment period from Dec. 16, 2022 to Feb. 8, 2023.

It did not say from where that wheat would be imported.

Devastating floods hit Pakistan in July and August causing losses of more than 30 billion and badly damaging four million acres of standing and stored crops.

Fields in large parts of southern Pakistan were waterlogged for many weeks.

(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Robert Birsel Writing by Tanvi Mehta Editing by David Goodman)