Egypt says no GM food exports or imports: agency

By Maha El Dahan

CAIRO (Reuters) - Any agricultural imports to Egypt must have a certificate from the country of origin that the product is not genetically modified and the rule will also apply to Egyptian exports, the official news agency said on Wednesday.

The debate in Egypt over food quality has become politically heated after some Russian wheat was rejected over quality concerns. Members of parliament have been calling for stricter rules and greater agricultural self sufficiency.

Traders expressed surprise at the move, saying some of Egypt's main food imports at the moment included genetically modified products.

Officials could not independently confirm the decision by Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza, as reported by the official news agency MENA.

Abaza was quoted as saying that "it was necessary that all crops imported from abroad and exported from Egypt be accompanied by a certificate from the country of origin stating they are free of genetically modified materials."

"No agricultural products especially wheat, corn and soya bean would enter except after examining samples from the cargo," MENA reported him as saying.

Egypt is one of the world's largest wheat importers and also imports other products such as corn, edible oils and sugar. It exports products such as vegetables and fruits particularly to Europe.

"A non-GMO policy would not cause difficulties for sunflower oil but it would for soyoil," one European trader said.