Delayed French wheat cargo leaves for Egypt

One of three ships due to deliver French wheat to Egypt left on Sunday night following weeks of delays, a sign that exports are resuming to the world's largest importer of the grain, shipping data showed on Monday. A second cargo was due to start loading at the northern port of Dunkirk later on Monday, shipping sources said.

The shipments out of France, the European Union's biggest wheat exporter, were due to leave in December but were delayed after exporters failed to receive letters of credit.

Since then, there was uncertainty over whether the cargoes would be accepted in Egypt after authorities issued contradictory statements about acceptable levels of infection by the grain fungus ergot in shipments.

Last week, Egypt's supply ministry last week specified the amount of ergot permitted in imported wheat. But suppliers wanted confirmation from the agriculture quarantine authority, which had said shipments containing any level of ergot would be barred. The problem surfaced last month after Egypt rejected a French wheat cargo with traces of ergot, even though the buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), allowed for a 0.05 percent ergot level under its specifications.