Egypt imports 420,000 tons of wheat from Russia, Romania

CAIRO – 12 June 2018: Egypt’s General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) announced it has purchased 420,000 tons of wheat from Russia and Romania on Tuesday.

Through an international bid, Egypt imported 300,000 tons of wheat from Russia and further 120,000 tons from Romania, GASC said. The imported wheat is expected to be shipped between July 15 and 25.

On May 28, Egypt lifted its ban on Russian imports of wheat that reportedly contained traces of ergot fungus.

Between 2010 and 2016 the Egyptian ministry of agriculture tolerated a limit of 0.05 percent of the fungus in the country's wheat imports, an internationally recognized standard.

The ministry overturned this in an August 2016 decision, instituting a zero-tolerance policy, which threatened to stop Russian shipments of the grain to Egypt.

However on 21 September 2016, the Egyptian Cabinet authorized importation in accordance with the 2010 standard of 0.05 percent, also announcing the resumption of Russian imports.

Egypt is the world's largest importer of wheat and is the destination of roughly one-third of Russian wheat exports