18,000 T of seized wheat might be released in Egypt after fumigation: Russia

Russia’s agriculture safety watchdog said on Thursday 18,000 tonnes of Russian wheat, seized by Egypt at an Alexandria port in November, could be released by local officials after fumigation.

Egyptian prosecutors seized the wheat from a storage site belonging to a private company in Dekheila port after finding it unsuitable for human consumption. The supply was seized several weeks after it had passed quarantine checks successfully.

Representatives of Russian watchdog, known as Rosselkhoznadzor, met Egyptian officials to discuss the issue in Cairo on Jan. 17, it said in a statement on Thursday.

The fumigation will get rid of pests which developed during the storage and will probably allow Egyptian officials to release the seized wheat, the watchdog said.

Cairo-based traders told Reuters in November that the shipment was seized after a large quantity of insects was found in the storage site.

Source: Reuters