BAGHDAD - Iraq's trade ministry said on Thursday it had closed its local wheat purchasing season, having bought over 5 million tonnes of the grain.

The agriculture ministry had said it expected local production to reach 6 million tonnes in the April-May harvest.

The most productive region was Nineveh, where 909,357 tonnes were procured, the statement said. Nineveh is traditionally the breadbasket province of Iraq.

Iraq declared it had reached self-sufficiency in July when around 4.5 million tonnes of the grain were collected in government silos.

Iraq is a major Middle East grain importer and needs between 4.5 million and 5 million tonnes of wheat a year to supply its subsidised food programme. It usually mixes local grain with supplies from Australia, Canada and the United States, to make up for any shortfalls in local production.

Iraq had said in March it would import an extra 1 million tonnes of wheat this year to boost its reserves amid growing concerns that measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic would slow the food supply chain.

It was not immediately clear whether these plans would now go ahead in the light of successful local purchases.

(Reporting by Moayed Kenany; Writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Jan Harvey and Kevin Liffey) ((Maha.Dahan@thomsonreuters.com; + 9712 4082101; Reuters Messaging: maha.dahan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))