The head of the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine, Ahmed Al-Attar, said today, Friday, that Egypt will consider sending inspectors to examine the wheat to be sent to it from Ukrainian ports in the conflict areas, according to Reuters.
Two well-informed sources said that Egypt canceled contracts for a total of 240 thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat contracted by the General Authority for Supply Commodities in Egypt for February and March delivery, but they were not loaded due to Russian operations in Ukraine.
The government usually sends quarantine inspectors to check shipments at the port of origin before the ships set sail
Russia and Ukraine were major sources of Egyptian wheat imports, which are necessary for the production of subsidized bread.
During his recent visit to Cairo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sent reassurances about Russian wheat supplies.
There is still uncertainty about Ukraine's resumption of grain exports after reaching an agreement with Moscow in this regard, which was signed in Istanbul last Friday under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey.
Ukraine and Russia accounted for about a third of global wheat exports before the start of Russian military operations in Ukraine on February 24.
During the last period, Egypt expanded in buying wheat from foreign markets, in addition to local production, in order to increase the strategic reserve, which covers up to 7 months at the present time, an unprecedented level in its history.