CAIRO: Egypt’s General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) has contracted the purchase of 240,000 tons of wheat from Russia and Romania, Youm7 reported Friday, citing a statement of Supply Minister Khaled Hanafy.
The purchase was through a global tender in which various local and international companies have participated.
“The GASC purchased 180,000 tons from Russia and 60,000 tons from Romania for $212.16 per ton. The purchased wheat will arrive in Egypt late November,” said the statement.
“The strategic reserves of local and imported wheat, mainly used in producing subsidized bread, are sufficient to cover Egypt’s needs until early April,” said Hanafy.
He added that all imported wheat are always examined upon arrival at the Egyptian ports by international audit firms and the ministry’s technical committee in order to make sure it conforms to the terms of the contract and to confirm its suitability for human use.
In April, Egypt, the world’s biggest wheat importer, started implementing a new “smart card” system to distribute subsidized bread which encouraged farmers to not hold on to their crops for personal consumption.