Egypt's main government wheat buyer said on Wednesday it would allow French wheat suppliers to use two ports in France to load cargoes, provided they cover freight costs. Nomani Nomani, vice chairman of the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) told Reuters the decision would be effective as of Wednesday, July 28. This reverses a decision made by GASC in 2009 that required exporters to load 55,000-60,000 ton cargoes at a single port. Nomani had said the decision put exporters on an equal footing. Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer and its international tenders are keenly contested by major exporters such as France, Russia and the United States. GASC last year tightened the terms it applies after controversy over the quality of cargoes of Russian wheat, including the one-port rule that has hampered French sales by effectively ruling out France's top grain port, Rouen. The one-port requirement forced French exporters to turn away from Rouen, which offers the largest wheat supply among French ports but which is too shallow to fully load 60,000 ton ships.
