Egypt’s state grain buyer Future of Egypt has tightened quality requirements for wheat imports by requiring a minimum baking strength rating of 160W, three traders said, a change communicated directly to suppliers rather than formally announced, Arab News reported. The buyer has been largely absent from the international market in recent months during the local buying season, though traders said it has recently been seeking price indications and requesting offers.
Traders said the revised specification is widely seen as a response to quality concerns around some origins, particularly this season’s Bulgarian crop, which often carries lower W values. Black Sea grain exports have been severely disrupted in recent months as Russia and Ukraine stepped up attacks on ports, terminals and vessels, and Russian exporters have rerouted some shipments through Baltic ports with limited capacity.