Could disgruntled inspectors really be behind recent disruptions in Egypt’s wheat shipments?

Could disgruntled inspectors really be behind recent disruptions in Egypt’s wheatshipments? Reuters’ Eric Knecht and Maha El Dahan are noting allegations by traders that Egypt’s inspectors, upset at losing their expenses-paid travel privileges and their “perks,” have been deliberately overzealous in their wheat inspections and causing disruptions in imports. Under the old inspections system, Egypt’s wheat inspectors were wined and dined, with accommodation and shopping being covered by wheat agents from Odessa to Dunkirk, traders allege. When the system changed in 2016 following the great ergot flip flop and the government outsourcing inspections at foreign ports to private companies, Egyptian inspectors are bucking back, they added. Inspectors speaking to Reuters have denied that pettiness was behind the disruption, alleging instead that importers have been sending wheat of poor quality.