Insights and Stories on Egypt

Jan. 27, 2016 at 2:34 am CST

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 […]

By Eric Knecht, maha-el-dahan

Jan. 15, 2016 at 6:05 pm CST

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 […]

By Eric Knecht, maha-el-dahan

Jan. 6, 2016 at 2:27 pm CST

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 […]

By Eric Knecht, maha-el-dahan

Jan. 9, 2015 at 11:55 am CST

Cairo | Reuters — Egypt’s stock of wheat for its subsidized bread program will last until the first week of May, well into the start of the local harvest, after it bought 180,000 tonnes this week, Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi said Friday. Hanafi said in a statement he expected new […]

By Reuters

Dec. 9, 2014 at 11:50 am CST

Abu Dhabi/Cairo | Reuters — Egypt and two companies from its strong backer United Arab Emirates have embarked on an ambitious plan to grow wheat in the desert that could boost the Cairo government’s credibility if successful. Egypt, the world’s biggest wheat importer, has long aspired to become self-sufficient in […]

By Maggie Fick, maha-el-dahan