Egypt may tighten wheat quality requirements for government procurement

The updated flour strength index W-160 corresponds, in particular, to Ukrainian, Romanian and French wheat.

Egypt has set a minimum flour strength value for government wheat purchases — the W index at 160. This was reported by the CEO of Mediterranean Star For Trading Company Ltd, Hesham Soliman, пише writes ASAP Agri.

According to him, the requirement applies only to the public sector. Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian and French wheat meet it.

The background is related to the quality of previous deliveries. About three months ago, Egypt had problems with bread baking due to a Bulgarian batch with a W index below 160. And about ten days ago, the state agency Mostakbal Misr rejected an offer to purchase 32 thousand tons of Bulgarian wheat when the ship was already on its way, citing quality problems.

Market participants question the timeliness of such a step. Black Sea logistics are under serious pressure due to attacks on ships, and wheat stocks in Egypt are running low. Mostakbal Misr or another Egyptian buyer is expected to return to the market soon – to ensure supplies on the eve of Ramadan, which begins on February 7, 2027.

Recall that Egypt is the largest importer of wheat in the world, and Ukraine is consistently among its key suppliers along with Russia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Reference. Mostakbal Misr is a state agency created by presidential decree in 2022, which replaced GASC from December 2024 and became the exclusive importer of strategic goods.

USM also recently reported that alternative routes could yield 3.5-4 million tons of exports per month.