An official government source in Egypt said that from the beginning of 2023 to the beginning of May, 3.6 million tons of wheat were imported from various countries and foreign origins, primarily from Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and France.
The source said that the Commodity Supply Authority – the state grain importer – has awarded a contract to purchase 11 new shipments containing 600,000 tons of wheat coming from Russia and Romania, noting that these quantities will be shipped from mid-June to mid-July. .
The source explained that he was contracted to purchase these Russian-Romanian shipments at a price of $295 per ton, indicating that the price includes shipping costs, which range from $18 to $20 per ton, adding that the weight of the batch in each boat fluctuates. from 50 to 55 thousand tons.
He continued: “Russia and Romania are the two largest wheat exporting countries to Egypt”, explaining that about 6.7 million tons of wheat arrived at Egyptian ports from Russia and Romania during 2022 alone, and that this is about 43 % of Egypt’s total wheat imports. last year’s wheat.
He noted a 13% decline in wheat imports last year in 2022 compared to 2021, as total wheat imports last year reached 9.6 million tons, and wheat imports in 2021 amounted to about 11 million tons. million and 32 thousand tons, adding that Russia topped the list He topped the list of countries from which Egypt imported wheat, in the amount of 5.4 million tons.
The local wheat supply season began in mid-April and will last until the end of June next year. The volume of local wheat supplies has so far reached more than 2.2 million tons amid expectations that the total amount of wheat supplied to the Ministry of Supply will exceed 4 million tons or more. .
Source: Al-Shoruk