Egypt says government purchases exempted from India’s wheat exports ban – Middle East Monitor

Any agreements by Egypt’s authorities to buy Indian wheat is not going to be affected by an export ban introduced by New Delhi, Egypt’s provide minister stated on Sunday, Reuters reviews.

“For India, we’re speaking with them on the idea of a authorities settlement. The ban exempts governments together with the federal government of Egypt,” minister Ali Moselhy stated at a information convention.

Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, faces a problem securing wheat after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine additional inflated excessive world costs and disrupted comparatively low-cost Black Sea provides that Egypt had more and more relied on.

It accepted the import of Indian wheat, just for India to ban wheat exports on Saturday as a scorching warmth wave curtailed output and home costs hit a report excessive.

Nonetheless, India stated it might nonetheless enable exports backed by letters of credit score that have been already issued, and gross sales to nations that request provides “to satisfy their meals safety wants”.

Egypt’s authorities had agreed to purchase half 1,000,000 tonnes of wheat from India, Moselhy stated in separate feedback to Reuters on Sunday.

Egypt’s state grains purchaser, the Common Authority for Provide Commodities (GASC), sometimes purchases wheat by worldwide tenders, however Moselhy instructed the information convention that the cupboard had accepted direct purchases from nations or firms.

Egypt was in talks with India, Australia, Kazakhstan and France for such offers, he stated.

Moselhy additionally stated Egypt had turned away a ship which Ukraine’s embassy in Cairo has alleged was carrying wheat from Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, on the grounds it didn’t have the correct paperwork.

“There have been no transport paperwork and there was no request for buy from any non-public or authorities physique. We refused its entry to Egyptian ports,” Moselhy stated.

READ: Rising costs set to stoke ‘inevitable’ rise in civil unrest in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon