DUBAI - Egypt's state grains buyer purchased Russian wheat in a private deal this week outside of the traditional tender process, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Two of the sources said the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) bought 430,000 metric tons of Russian wheat for October shipment.

GASC declined to comment but told Reuters it receives and assesses offers on a daily basis.

The three sources said GASC secured the wheat from Russian grain trader United Grain Company (OZK) via an intermediary firm. OZK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Two of the sources also said the cargoes were bought at $233 per metric ton from the intermediary. One said the intermediary had originally bought the cargoes at $231 per metric ton. It was not clear if these prices included shipping costs.

Egypt, often the world's biggest wheat importer, has been trying to take advantage of lower global prices to secure more grain, which it uses for subsidised bread for tens of millions of Egyptians.

Reuters reported last month that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi personally ordered GASC's biggest ever tender in August, seeking more than half of GASC's needs at once. However, GASC only managed to secure 7% of its target due to higher than expected prices.

Reuters also reported this month that GASC was in negotiations with suppliers to buy 30 cargoes, or up to 1.8 million tons, of wheat from sellers including Russia.

Egypt has been grappling with high inflation in the past two years and has needed the support of the International Monetary Fund and Gulf allies to tackle a foreign currency crunch.

The North African country has undertaken austerity measures in order to cut spending, including raising the decade-old price of subsidised bread earlier this year.

Supply Minister Sherif Farouk said this month the country remained confident of securing its target of around 3.8 million tons of wheat by the end of 2024, via a combination of tenders, direct purchases and government-to-government agreements.

"We still have (a) green light to engage in direct talks to get the best price," Farouk told reporters on Monday.

(Reporting by Sarah El Safty, Olga Popova, and Michael Hogan; Editing by Jason Neely and Mark Potter)