CAIRO: The Ministry of Finance said that the Customs Authority is not responsible for allowing the shipment of Russian wheat into the country. The shipment has been seized from the Safaga Port and provinces in Upper Egypt, local press reported. Imported wheat is not bound to any tariffs or sales taxes, therefore the Customs Authority's sole responsibility towards those shipments is to make sure that other regulatory bodies approve of it, Galal Aboul Fotouh, head of the Customs' Authority said. The General Authority for Export and Import Control in Safaga approved this Russian wheat shipment which arrived at the Safaga Port on April 24, he added. Egypt's state prosecution ordered Wednesday the seizure of all wheat imported from Russia because it may not be fit for human consumption following a complaint by opposition MP Mostafa Bakry, the outspoken journalist, that the shipment has entered Egypt without going through the proper channels that ensure quality control. The decision is pending test results from a committee of professors who will examine samples of Russian wheat to determine whether it is fit for consumption. Currently all parties involved in the case are being interrogated by the prosecution office, according to official state news agency 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. 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. This is not the first time concerns were raised about imported wheat; there have been numerous investigation requests filed at the People's Assembly but to no avail. However this time MP Bakry has taken the case to the State Prosecutor, Abdel Meguid Mahmoud. "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 was rejected from the Damietta Port and it entered through the Safaga Port.
