Egypt Promises Transparency to Suppliers After Wheat Trade Row
- Romanian and French wheat cargoes held up finally cleared
- Govt is said to be working on changing inspection scheme
Egypt is working to end confusion over its inspection policy for wheat imports after repeated cargo delays created uncertainty in the market and forced the world’s top wheat importer to pay more to provide its poorest people with bread.
Egypt had "promised transparency" to its suppliers and would issue specific rules for wheat importers in different languages within two weeks, Supply Minister Ali El-Mosilhy said in comments to Bloomberg in Dubai on Wednesday. The move comes after French and Romanian cargoes were held up for weeks at the Red Sea port of Safaga after inspectors found poppy seeds among the grain. Both shipments have since been cleared, but the saga caused concern among traders as it mirrored last year’s months-long standoff over the common ergot fungus, which saw several cargoes rejected.