Egypt rejects ship carrying Indian wheat originally intended for Turkey

'We rejected the ship before it entered Egypt,' says Egyptian plant quarantine chief Ahmed El Attar

Egypt barred the entry of a ship carrying 55,000 tonnes of Indian wheat that was originally intended for Turkey, Egyptian plant quarantine chief Ahmed El Attar said on Saturday.

"We rejected the ship before it entered Egypt," he told Reuters, adding that Turkish quarantine authorities had already blocked the arrival of the vessel.

Separately, Egypt, the world's biggest importer of wheat, was expecting the arrival of its first ever Indian wheat shipment later on Saturday, purchased by the Egyptian private sector.

Supply minister Aly Moselhy said in May that a deal with India to directly purchase 500,000 tonnes of wheat outside the usual