Egyptian exporters of agricultural products have criticized stepped-up security inspections of outgoing cargo at Cairo International Airport and other shipping outlets, saying that the measures were causing shipping delays for which they had to pay late fees to import companies. According to Agricultural Export Council head Sherif al-Biltagi, Cairo International Airport security officials currently inspect 100 percent of exported goods instead of employing the random sampling methods that had been in use previously. Al-Biltagi said that recent threats issued by al-Qaeda and the recent string of explosive air packages had resulted in a state of heightened security which had in turn led to serious shipping delays, particularly in light of inadequate inspection facilities. The delays, he added, had caused some goods to spoil after sitting at the airport for long periods of time. He also pointed out that the airport's refrigeration unit was the only unit equipped with rapid inspection equipment, whereas other units required that each carton be individually inspected. Al-Biltagy called on authorities to consider the interests of export companies, many of which have taken huge losses due to the stringent security measures. He went on to suggest that security procedures be confined to surprise inspections and sample inspections until rapid inspection equipment was made available for use. Egypt exports an average of 500 tons--nearly 100,000 cartons--of agricultural products every day. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
