Egypt's main government wheat buyer said on Tuesday he had changed the terms of wheat tenders for shipments starting July 1. Nomani Nomani, vice chairman of the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), declined to give details of the new rules. Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer. Its international tenders have been a major issue for the global wheat trade since last year as GASC has tightened the terms it applies following controversy over the quality of cargoes of Russian wheat. Wheat imports by the most populous Arab country have been mired in controversy since the seizure in last May of Russian wheat on quality grounds, the first in a string of wheat seizures. Most were eventually released. The imports suport a bread subsidy programme that helps millions survive on low income and wards off political unrest. Since the start of the current financial year in July 2009, GASC has purchased 5.11 million tonnes of US, French, Russian, German, Kazakh and Canadian wheat at international tenders.
