Iraq has bought more than 300,000 tonnes of domestic wheat this season and maintained its estimate of 2.5 million tonnes of local purchases for the 2018 season despite this year’s drought. The local purchasing figure implies an import gap of 2 million tonnes, with Iraq requiring annual wheat supply of between 4.5 million and 5 million tonnes. The rate of procurement was slow at the beginning when we started this season, but now the pace is picking up and we have over 300,000 tonnes. The local wheat purchasing season began on April 16 and is expected to continue until the end of June.