(Ecofin Agency) - Egypt just replaced the head of its Agriculture Quarantine Authority (AQA), Saad Moussa. Ibrahim Ahmed Imbabi, foremerly head of the Plant Pathology Research Institute, is the new head of the AQA, Reuters report.

The new appointment results from a controversy that shook the country’s agricultural sector a few weeks ago and directly involving Saad Moussa. Truly, AQA’s outgoing head imposed a zero tolerance policy on ergot, a common grain fungus, in imported wheat while Ministry of Agriculture backed a more common international standard that allows trace levels. As a result, wheat traders lost interest in call to tenders launched by the Egyptian government, saying zero tolerance was impossible.

The controversy which threatened Egypt’s grain industry could pose a political problem for President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Appointing Ahmed Imbabi is thus an attempt to appease wheat traders.

Egypt’s impoverished population highly relies on subsidized bread.

Aaron Akinocho