LONDON: Britain's wheat imports rose sharply in August and are running well ahead of last season's pace, customs data showed on Friday.

Wheat imports for the month totalled 217,894 tonnes, up from 149,337 tonnes in July.

Bulgaria was the largest supplier in August, shipping 63,225 tonnes, followed by Germany with 57,912 tonnes.

Cumulative imports since the start of the 2020/21 season, which started on July 1, totalled 367,231 tonnes, up from 223,293 tonnes in the same period a year earlier.

For the season-to-date, Canada is the largest supplier to Britain with shipments of 96,663 tonnes.

Wheat imports are expected to climb this year following a poor crop.

Traders also expected some buyers to seek to bring in supplies before the end of the year due to uncertainty over future trading terms with the European Union.

The current transitional trade agreement between Britain and the EU expires at the end of 2020.

Wheat exports during August totalled just 6,373 tonnes, down from the prior month's 11,968 tonnes.

Cumulative exports for the season-to-date stood at 18,344 tonnes, far below the 151,012 tonnes exported in the same period a year earlier.