Egypt throws grain market into tizzy after poppy seeds found in wheat

Dubai

EGYPT is considering rejecting 59,000 tonnes of French wheat purchased by state grain buyer GASC due to the presence of poppy seeds, the second cargo to come under such scrutiny and raising fresh uncertainty over the country's import policy.

The world's biggest wheat importer threw the international grains market into confusion in 2015 by rejecting a cargo that contained the common wheat fungus ergot, triggering a row over policy in Cairo that is still simmering and worrying traders.