MOSCOW- Iran plans to import 3 million tonnes of wheat this Iranian calendar year, according to a presentation delivered by the secretary general of the country's Federation of Food Industry Associations Kaveh Zargaran on Wednesday.
Iran was a major importer of wheat and one of the largest markets for Russian wheat until it reduced purchases in 2016 because of Tehran's self-sufficiency drive.
The wheat imports are being planned to fulfil Iran's domestic needs, Zargaran added in the presentation at a grains conference in Baku.
It was not immediately clear whether Iran planned to hold state tenders for these purchases. Iran's year starts in March and ends in February.
Iran has a separate agreement with Russia and Kazakhstan on the supply of wheat via the Caspian Sea for private Iranian millers, who are not allowed to use domestic wheat for flour exports, still need imported wheat.
(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Jan Harvey and David Evans) ((Polina.Devitt@thomsonreuters.com; +7 495 775 12 42; Reuters Messaging: polina.devitt.reuters.com@reuters.net))
