Official: Egypt’s ban on ergot not to harm Russian grain exports

MOSCOW, Jun 8 (PRIME) – Even if Egypt fulfills its promise to import only grain with a zero ergot content, Russia will have no risks, First Deputy Agriculture Minister Dzhambulat Khatuov told reporters on Thursday.

“We have talked about Turkey much, and you know how it all ended, everything is stable and seamless. It is going to be the same with Egypt. They are our traditional partners after all, nobody will go anywhere from us. The rest are marketing tricks, in our understanding,” Khatuov said.

In March, the ministry said it expects grain exports at 37 million tonnes in the 2016–2017 agricultural year after a record harvest of 120.7 million tonnes in 2016. But trade restrictions with Turkey forced the Russian ministry cut the forecast to 33.9 million tonnes in April.

The ministry now expects that grain exports will amount to 34–35 million tonnes, including 27 million tonnes of wheat, in the 2016–2017 agricultural year.

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