Egypt purchases 3.5mln tonnes of wheat during local buying season – ZAWYA

Egypt purchases 3.5mln tonnes of wheat during local buying season – ZAWYA

Egypt purchases 3.5mln tonnes of wheat during local buying season | ZAWYA MENA Edition HomeMarketsCommoditiesArticleEgypt purchases 3.5mln tonnes of wheat during local buying season The harvest season in Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer, began mid-April    A farmer packs wheat after harvesting it from a field in the Gharbia Governorate, as Egypt ramps up efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Egypt May 14, 2020. DUBAI- Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer, said on Tuesday that its local wheat buying season had ended with a total of 3.5 million tonnes purchased from farmers who were largely unaffected by coronavirus disruptions.Egypt exempted farmers from a nationwide nightly curfew imposed to curb the spread of the disease to allow them to harvest their crops uninterrupted.The government was able to procure 300,000 tonnes more wheat than it did last year, the supply ministry said on Tuesday.Egyptian President Abel Fattah al-Sisi had asked authorities in April to bolster the country's strategic reserves in the face of global supply concerns caused by coronavirus, prompting the General Authority of Supply Commodities (GASC) to tap the international market for wheat while the harvest was ongoing.Egypt consumes around 20 million tonnes of wheat annually