Wheat

The ban will remain in place for 30 days, effective immediately and lasting until Friday, October 3.

The forecast underscores the country’s continued reliance on external markets for more than half its wheat needs.

The announced stock represents more than double the 2,597-ton harvest achieved at the end of the previous season.

The country grapples with its worst drought in 36 years, which has reduced wheat output by about 40 percent.

The government had aimed to procure between 4mln and 5mln tons of wheat from the local harvest, which it estimated at a total of around 10mln tons