Russia controls half of wheat imports to Egypt, expert says

Egyptian flour mills choose Russian grain due to stable supplies, while Ukrainian wheat is losing its competitive position.

Currently, the Russian Federation provides about 50% of wheat imports to Egypt, while Ukrainian grain, which previously had strong market positions, cannot restore its export volumes. This was reported by the owner of the Egyptian company Sprint Trading Ahmed Amin, ASAP Agri writes.

According to the expert, the structure of grain purchases by Egypt has changed significantly over the past two years. In 2021, Ukraine supplied Egypt with almost 4 million tons of wheat. However, the war and the reduction in the use of fertilizers in 2022 negatively affected the quality of grain, which caused a sharp drop in exports.

“Egyptian flour mills prefer Russian wheat due to its stable grinding quality. Ukrainian grain has problems — damage by the tortoise bug and heterogeneity of quality in different batches, which makes it less attractive, even despite price discounts,” Amin explained.

In addition, the price difference between Russian and Ukrainian wheat is usually only $2-3/t, which does not compensate traders for the potential risks associated with Ukrainian products.

USM previously reported that Egypt began accepting stolen Ukrainian grain instead of Syria.