CAIRO- Egypt's state grains buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), said on Wednesday it had bought 120,000 tonnes of Russian wheat in an international purchase tender.

GASC was seeking an unspecified quantity of wheat in an international tender for July 12-22 shipment and said it would pay for the grain under a 180-day deferred payment system.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had urged authorities to bolster strategic reserves in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The supply ministry subsequently said it planned to buy 800,000 tonnes of imported wheat during the harvest season, of which it has now bought 600,000 tonnes.

Traders gave the following breakdown of the purchase in dollars per tonne on a free-on-board (FOB) basis:

* Posco 60,000 tonnes of Russian wheat at $216.90 + $10.00 freight = 226.90

* Ameropa 60,000 tonnes of Russian wheat at $217.59 + $10.00 freight = 227.59

(Reporting by Maha El Dahan, Nadine Awadall and Michael Hogan; Editing by Jan Harvey and Nick Macfie) ((Nadine.Awadalla@thomsonreuters.com;))