Egypt purchases 535K tons of Russian wheat; shipments set to arrive in Feb., March

CAIRO – 3 February 2023: Egypt’s Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade has signed a contract to purchase 535,000 tons of Russian wheat funded by the World Bank.

The wheat shipments are set to arrive in the second half of February and the first half of March, a brief statement by the ministry said.

Late in January, Safaga Port received 'PAREA' ship carrying 63,000 tons of Russian wheat, state’s news agency MENA quoted the media center of the Red Sea Ports Authority (RSPA) as saying.

The Russian grain delivered to Safaga belongs to the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) at the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade.

In a statement Saturday, the RSPA added that as many as 76,000 tons of goods were handled at the different harbors of the Red Sea.

The imports included 70,000 tons of goods, 432 trucks and 44 cars, while exports included 6,000 tons of goods and 267 trucks and 10 cars, the statement said.

The current Russia-Ukraine war has forced Egypt to find new sources for wheat imports given that the country used to get 80 percent of its imported wheat from both conflicting countries. However, Egypt has not stopped receiving wheat shipments from both countries.

Egypt has also worked to encourage local farmers to supply wheat to the government in an effort to cover local consumption.