Cairo | Reuters — Egypt will allow up to 0.05 per cent ergot, a common grains fungus, in wheat shipments beginning on Tuesday, confirming the end of a months-long standoff just before the country re-enters the international wheat market. Reuters exclusively reported on July 4 that a ministerial decree would allow the world’s top wheat […] Read more
Egypt to follow global standard for ergot starting Tuesday
‘Unorthodox’ agriculture policies seen costing Egypt
Chicago | Reuters –– Egypt, the world’s top wheat importer, faces US$860 million in extra costs and lost export opportunities this year because of “unorthodox agricultural measures,” including a zero-tolerance policy on ergot fungus in wheat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday in a report. The report, from a USDA attache in Cairo, criticized […] Read more
India might extend wheat import tax beyond March
New Delhi | Reuters — India is likely to extend a wheat import tax beyond March to shield its domestic farmers from cheap imports, particularly as wheat from the new-season harvest will become available by the end of this month, government sources said Monday. After consulting the food, farm and trade ministries, the finance ministry […] Read more
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 […] Read more
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 […] Read more
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 […] Read more
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 […] Read more
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 […] Read more
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 […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
