HAMBURG - A Syrian state grains agency has issued an international tender to purchase 200,000 tonnes of soft wheat for bread making sourced from the Black Sea region, European traders said on Monday.

The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender from Syria's General Establishment for Cereal Processing, Storage and Trade (Hoboob) is Wednesday, Oct. 28, traders said.

Shipment is sought 60 days after confirmation that the order has been placed, they said.

Prices should be submitted in U.S. dollars only and payment will also be made in U.S. dollars. Offers must be valid for 15 days after submission.

Syria needs to import between 180,000 and 200,000 tonnes of wheat a month, its economy minister was cited as saying on Oct. 18, blaming a shortfall on militias preventing farmers from selling their wheat to the state.

Syria's economy is suffering under the weight of a complex, multi-sided conflict now in its 10th year, along with a financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon.

(Reporting by Michael Hogan, editing by Jason Neely) ((michael.j.hogan@thomsonreuters.com; +49 172 671 36 54; Reuters Messaging: michael.hogan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))