CAIRO: The seizure Russian wheat in Egypt is a “temporary decision, a source inside the general prosecution office told the Middle East News Agency (MENA).
Egypt’s state prosecution ordered Wednesday the seizure of all wheat imported from Russia because it may not be fit for human consumption.
The decision is pending test results from a committee of professors who will examine samples of Russian wheat to determine if it is fit for consumption.
The public prosecutor’s order applies to all wheat imported from Russia, whether it’s still at Safaga port or already delivered to different provinces.
The prosecutor said the move followed a complaint that wheat had entered Egypt without going through the proper channels that ensure quality control.
Currently all parties involved in the case are being interrogated by the prosecution office, the source told MENA.
Wheat samples will be tested to see if they fit standards agreed upon by Egypt’s General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) and Egyptian Traders, which imported the wheat.
Opposition MP Mostafa Bakry filed Tuesday at the People’s Assembly an emergency investigation request into a shipment of Russian wheat that entered Egypt without the consent of the agriculture committee at the port, which said that the shipment did not meet health requirements.
Galal Aboul Fotouh, head of the Customs’ Authority, denied Bakry’s allegations on Orbit’s talk show “Al-Qahera Al-Youm, saying that the Ministry of Health approved the shipment.
The head of the Russian Grain Union, Arkady Zlochevsky, accused Egypt of having the “sole objective to force us to sell at lower prices, according to Reuters.
“All grains we ship to Egypt fully correspond to conditions, including grade and quality, specified in export contracts, Zlochevsky said. “The problem is not the quality, but an attempt to play with prices.
Meanwhile, members of the People’s Assembly are up in arms, accusing the government of neglecting citizens’ health.
“There have been numerous investigation requests filed at the PA regarding the wheat imported from Russia and Ukraine as it has been scientifically proven that it is cancerous and not fit for human consumption. However, the government hasn’t responded to any [requests], said MP Gamal Zahran, the official spokesperson of the independent bloc at the PA.
He added that this shipment has specifically been rejected from the Damietta Port and it entered through the Safaga Port.
“This is not the first time that something like that happens; the Russian wheat has already been distributed at a number of governorates, said Muslim Brotherhood MP Azab Mostafa Morsi.
“We have previously asked for a committee to look into the matter, however the response we got from Moufid Shehab, the government’s representative at the PA, is that they haven’t received any information regarding this, he explained.
Morsi claimed that the case was referred to the General Prosecutor after it was ignored by the parliament.
Other issues have been raised regarding wheat imports, including how it is detrimental to the Egyptian farmer.
“The Ministry of Agriculture is indifferent when it comes to the welfare of the people, because it is not only about the shipment being cancerous; it is also about its timing. It came at a time when Egyptian farmers are selling their wheat crop and this competed furiously with them. The government bought 58,000 tons from Egyptians this year in comparison to the 280,000 tons last year, he explained.
“Around 8,500 tons of this cancerous wheat has already been distributed in Assiut, Minya and Qous [a province in Qena]. It may have already been used by the bakeries so it may be too late, said Brotherhood MP Abdel Aziz Khalaf, who represents Assiut in the PA.
