Egypt has banned agricultural and manufactured imports from Japan for three months as of Tuesday until nuclear contamination reaches safe levels, local media said Tuesday. Earlier March, Egyptian Minister of Agriculture Ayman Abu Hadid said his ministry had banned farming-food or any other meat imports from Japan and its neighbouring countries due to radioactive vapour from the Fukushima nuclear plant, which has contaminated farm produce and dairy products in the region. The US, the European Union, China and other countries have set up restrictions on shipments from Japan. Egypt imports furniture, tmber, strawberry and seeds, Ali Soliman, the head of the country's Agricultural Quarantine, told sister Al-Gomhuria daily newspaper. Higher than normal radiation was last week detected in tap water in and around Tokyo, some 250 kilometres from the plant, leading authorities to warn against using it for baby milk formula. The contamination is a further worry for a country already reeling from the effects of the quake-tsunami, which has killed more than 10,000 people, with around 17,000 people still listed as missing.
