Agriculture minister probes with French ambassador rejected wheat cargo

Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Essam Fayed conferred on Monday with French Ambassador here Andre Parant on joint cooperation in the agricultural domain and poultry production.

In a statement released on Monday, the Agriculture Ministry said the meeting covered Egypt's rejection of a French wheat cargo for fungus contamination. A French vessel was stopped at Damietta Harbor because it did not meet the Agriculture Ministry’s zero-tolerance requirement for ergot, a fungus that can grow on wheat and cause health problems.

The minister told the French ambassador that the Ministry is only responsible for taking samples from the cargo to undergo tests and later inform the Ministry of Supply and Trade on the tests results to take the appropriate decision.

The meeting also covered the spread of the bird flu virus in poultry farms in South France and the Ministry's decision to ban poultry importation from the French farms in such districts.

The two sides agreed on signing a cooperation protocol between the Agriculture Ministry and the French Federation For Agricultural Services to restructure the grain collection system in Gharbiya governorate by a grant from the Agricultural Researches Support and Development Fund, an affiliate of the French Finance Ministry, for six months.

The French side said it is ready to sign the protocol as soon as possible.