Did the Agriculture Ministry bust the Supply Ministry trying to mix foreign and subsidized wheat? The Agriculture Ministry has confirmed reports that a Supply Ministry truck was caught transporting imported wheat grain to a domestic grain storage facility in a statement receiving wide circulation in the domestic press. The vehicle was allegedly caught by Agriculture Ministry officials in Menoufia and Shibin Al Kom transporting foreign sourced grain from Damietta Port. The move is a violation of regulations mandating the separation of foreign-sourced and locally harvested and subsidized wheat. The statement also refuted reports attributed to the Deputy Agriculture Minister in Manoufia that the ministry approved receiving foreign wheat. Supply Minister Khaled Hanafi had said on Monday that both ministries were coordinating well on gathering and storing the domestic harvest. As it stands, the Agriculture Ministry has collected 400k tons of domestic wheat this harvest season, Al Mal reports based on a ministry statement.

Supply Ministry sources fired back denying that foreign grain was mixed with local wheat — and adding for good measure that the Agriculture Ministry as no responsibility for where wheat is milled or stored. That’s the sole prerogative of the Supply Ministry, it added, according to a report by Al Mal. The source noted that both local and imported grain go into the making of subsidized bread.