DUBAI- Syria's General Establishment for Cereal Processing and Trade (Hoboob) bought 200,000 tonnes of Black Sea origin wheat in its latest international purchasing tender, a government source said on Tuesday.

Hoboob bought the wheat at the price of $260 a tonne cost and freight (C&F).

The wheat is for delivery in two months' time, the source said.

"This was the lowest offer presented and it was a Middle Eastern trading firm that presented it," the source added.

Syria's Hoboob is seeking another 200,000 tonnes of wheat in a separate tender that closes March 4.

The country is expected to import around 1.5 million tonnes of wheat with this year's crop the smallest in three decades after war and drought cut production by around 30 percent.

Although foodstuffs are not restricted by Western sanctions, banking sanctions and asset freezes have made it difficult for most trading houses to do business with Syria, although trade with ally Russia poses fewer problems.

Russia supplied 35,500 tonnes of wheat to Syria from July 18 to Jan. 19

Black Sea prices for Russian wheat with 12.5 percent protein content and for delivery in February were $240 a tonne free-on-board (FOB) at the end of last week. 

(Reporting By Maha El Dahan; additional reporting by Polina Devitt in Moscow; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) ((Maha.Dahan@thomsonreuters.com; + 9712 4082101; Reuters Messaging: maha.dahan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))