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

Egypt rejects Canadian wheat shipment over ergot

Abu Dhabi | Reuters –– Egypt’s agricultural quarantine authority has rejected a shipment of Canadian wheat, saying it contained traces of the fungus ergot, a trade source said and official documents obtained by Reuters showed. The move by the quarantine authority is the latest in a series of rejections, which have caused serious concerns over […] Read more

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

Egypt to accept wheat with 0.05 per cent ergot

Cairo | Reuters — Egypt’s agriculture ministry will allow wheat imports with up to 0.05 percent levels of ergot, a common grains fungus, it said on Feb. 3, reversing a zero tolerance policy that prompted traders to boycott the state’s wheat tender this week. The supply ministry and the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) […] Read more



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 […] Read more


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 […] Read more

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 […] Read more


(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: Soybeans climb as China fears wane

Chicago | Reuters –– Benchmark U.S. soybean futures rose 1.5 per cent on Thursday as equity markets stabilized in China, the world’s top soy buyer, and on outlooks for dry weather as the U.S. Midwest growing season winds down, traders said. Corn clung to modest gains on better-than-expected weekly U.S. export sales and spillover strength […] Read more