Egypt receives 63,000 tons of grain from Russia
So far, since the start of the year, imports from Russia have reached 191,000 tons of wheat.
-
File Photo: PAREA dry cargo ship in Europoort, Netherlands . Photo courtesy of Vessel finder website
The Alyaum as-Sabia news portal reported on Saturday that Egypt received 63,000 tons of grain from Russia as the malta-flagged PAREA cargo ship landed in the port of Safaga on the Red Sea today.
The grain is reported to have fallen under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade, according to the report.
Egypt is Russia’s largest grain importer, and also the biggest grain importer in the world, with some 11-13 million tons being purchased from abroad yearly.
So far, since the start of the year, imports from Russia have reached 191,000 tons of wheat.
Because of sanctions against Russia, the US and the EU have caused massive disruption in supply chains, prompting the North African country to find alternatives for diversification.
Read more: India and Egypt to develop bilateral ties
On January 9, Egyptian Supply and Internal Trade Minister Ali Moselhi told Russian news agency Sputnik that Egypt is planning on importing around 4 million tonnes of wheat in 2023 for bread production, which is subsidized by the government in Cairo.
"The annual consumption of wheat [for state-subsidized bread production] in Egypt is estimated at 9 million tonnes. This year we plan to receive 5 million tonnes of local wheat and import 4 million tonnes," Moselhi said.
The head of the farmers' syndicate in Egypt, Hussein Abu Saddam, told AFP back in October that he has already observed an exodus from the countryside brought on by the changing climate.
Agriculture in Egypt -- "one of the aridest countries in the world" -- has grown even less profitable because of new climate-linked hazards such as "the appearance of new parasites," he said. "Young people from rural areas are migrating abroad or to big cities to work in the industry."
Egypt is highly dependent on imports when it comes to the key raw material used to make bread in a country whose population perceives the good as an essential staple to a meal.
