The Nile River at Cairo. (CIA.gov)

Egypt prosecutor says some local wheat bought on paper only

Cairo | Reuters –– Egypt’s general prosecutor said on Thursday some local wheat was bought by the government in paper transactions only and not physically delivered, the first public statement by his office on the matter since fraud allegations surfaced last month. Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, launched a government-led inspection of wheat silos





Iran banning all state wheat imports

Dubai | Reuters –– Iran banned state imports of wheat for a year starting on March 20, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, ordering officials to stop registering new purchase orders. “There is no need for wheat imports in coming year. Please avoid registering any order for wheat (imports) from this date,” Iran’s minister of


Sunset in Egypt on the Nile River south of Luxor. (CIA.gov)

Egypt’s ergot saga leaves wheat traders in limbo

Reuters — One Egyptian official’s tough stance on wheat imports carrying a fungus that wreaked havoc in the Middle Ages is baffling global grain traders and putting a spotlight on policy-making disarray in the world’s biggest purchaser of the commodity. Alarm bells began ringing in Egypt when a 63,000-tonne wheat shipment from France arrived in

Sunset in Egypt on the Nile River south of Luxor. (CIA.gov)

Egypt moves to clarify ergot rules on wheat imports

Reuters — Egypt’s supply ministry moved to clarify rules on wheat imports on Thursday, saying it would allow shipments with traces of the grain fungus ergot to enter the country. Wheat traders have been concerned that uncertainty over payment and inspection terms in Egypt, the world’s biggest wheat importer, would dampen export demand. The problem

Sunset in Egypt on the Nile River south of Luxor. (CIA.gov)

Egypt’s new wheat requirement could delay supplies

Cairo/Abu Dhabi | Reuters — Egypt, the world’s largest purchaser of wheat, has imposed restrictive import requirements, an agricultural authority official told Reuters, alarming traders who threatened to boycott tenders for the politically sensitive commodity. The new requirement — for a complete absence of ergot, a common fungus found in grains — could disrupt the


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Syria needs more wheat, despite healthy harvest

Abu Dhabi | Reuters — Syrian farmers enduring a fifth year of civil war have sold less wheat to the state than last year despite a better harvest and higher offer price, leaving a large shortfall to be made up with imports complicated by western sanctions. President Bashar al-Assad’s government has lost control over many

(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Iran cancels import duties on wheat, barley

Dubai/Moscow | Reuters — Iran has canceled import duties it imposed on wheat and barley in July, according to an official document seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The document said the import duties ended on Sept. 6 for wheat and on Aug. 22 for barley. It gave no reason for the cancellation. The Iranian government