Westec Inc., located in Reno, Nevada, is a distributor/exporter of American grown seeds to the Middle East. Westec contacted CS Reno requesting assistance with a phytosanitary regulatory issue for an export sale of alfalfa seeds to Egypt. Westec informed CS Reno that an 18-ton shipment of alfalfa seeds bound for Egypt may be rejected by Egyptian Customs because of a last-minute regulatory requirement from the Egyptian government. 

The Egyptian government requested that the seeds be OECD Blue Tag certified, which is a European Union certificate of compliance. Westec’s seeds are USA Blue ISTA certified which satisfies the Egyptian phytosanitary requirements. Given that the seeds were already on a cargo ship enroute to Egypt, having them OECD Blue tag certified was not an option. Westec requested CS Reno assistance to rectify the issue.
CS Reno provided Westec general counseling and market intelligence on doing business in Egypt. CS Egypt, the U.S Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Egypt office, and the US Department of State (DoS) office in Egypt were looped-in to provide their assistance with addressing the matter. Accordingly, FAS contacted the Egyptian government to seek proper regularity clarity on the issue. FAS provided Westec and its Egyptian importer the necessary guidance and best practices for rectifying the issue, including guidance on submitting an appeal with the Egyptian government. Moreover, Egyptian authorities wouldn’t officially provide their stamp of approval on Westec’s import documentation without the DoS’s review. DoS reviewed and validated the authenticity of Westec’s documentation ensuring their compliance.

As a result of U.S. Government engagement, Westec reported that their shipment of alfalfa seeds, satisfied the Egyptian phytosanitary regulatory requirements and cleared Egyptian Customs without issue.