Approximately 55 000 tonnes of wheat will be making its way to Egypt through the Kandla port in India, and is due to make its way to the North African country on Friday, 29 April 2022.
Egypt’s agriculture ministry approved wheat shipments from India as part of a plan to replace Black Sea supplies, which have been disrupted since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February. Egypt is more vulnerable to Black Sea supply interruptions than the rest of the Middle East and North Africa region due to fewer wheat purchases this year.
Thus far, India has exported nearly 95 000 tonnes of wheat over the course of a month, and a further 180 000 tonnes will be shipped to various other countries after April.
In March, Egypt had put up an international tender for countries to buy wheat from, as it previously received most of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine. The country imports approximately 85% of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine, as well as 73% of its sunflower oil.
The General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), which is Egypt’s state buyer, put forward the tender. Within a 48-hour period, only France accepted the tender and offered 60 000 tonnes of wheat. They also put up a second tender, saying they were just “testing the waters.”
Since the invasion, GASC has purchased one cargo of Ukrainian wheat for February. Three ships with a total capacity of 42 700 tonnes were allowed to depart port, out of a total capacity of 60 000 tonnes. However, two further cargoes totaling 120 000 tonnes that were purchased in December have been held in port.
Meanwhile, Egypt establishes relationship with Kenya
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently met with the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame during a strategic visit, where the two are reported to have discussed the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project. The two met earlier in April.
According to the official spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, the meeting saw a contract of individual discussions followed by extensive discussions between the delegates of the two countries, where the Egyptian president welcomed president Kajami to show his appreciation for the historical relations shared between the two brother countries, and how committed the North African country is to strengthening strategic cooperation with Rwanda in both areas.
