Egypt only accepting standard 0.05% ergot in wheat: Ministry

Ahram Online , Wednesday 3 Feb 2016

Wheat
Wheat sacks in Alexandria port in Egypt, July 2015. (Reuters)

Egypt is continuing to accept the standard international codex of 0.05 percent ergot fungus in wheat shipments, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

A 63,000-tonne French wheat shipment was rejected by Egyptian quarantine officials for exceeding the standard percentage last month.

A high level of ergot in wheat can cause serious health problems if consumed.

"There were two containers in the shipment, one had 0.07 percent ergot and the other 0.09 percent," agriculture ministry spokesperson Eid Hawash told Ahram Online.

Traders told Reuters anonymously that they boycotted a state tender over the rejection of the French tender, which they claim contained a level of ergot that was below the acceptable threshold. 

The supply ministry and GASC, Egypt's official foodstuff importer, were not immediately available for comment.

Egypt, a major player in the international wheat market, imports around 10 million tonnes of wheat annually through both state and private sector buyers.

Short link: