OAIC paid an average price of $215.50 a tonne, cost and freight included, for the wheat, which is to be shipped in September, the traders said.

Part of the purchase was expected to be sourced from France, Algeria's main wheat supplier, while competitively priced from the Baltic region and Romania was also seen as a possible choice.

Algeria, one of the world's largest wheat importers, does not disclose the results of its tenders and purchase reports are based on trade assessments.