Photo courtesy of USGC.
Thirty inspectors and laboratory officials from relevant agencies also attended the training from April 22-26.
There is a need to adopt a standardized methodology for calculating the number of permissible broken kernels and averaging these by lots, the FAS said. Similarly, importers are calling for the government to study the possibility of increasing the permissible number of broken kernels and pulses bringing these more in line with international standards.
FAS recruited Sabri Shoukry Gerguis, a veteran grains inspector with 40-plus years of experience with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) to lead the training.
The workshops included the observation of the inspection and sampling procedures of a full vessel load of barley while at anchor utilizing a vacuum suction pump. A full vessel load of U.S.-origin corn as well had samples pulled for the seminar’s participants’ training purposes. Inspection and sampling procedures for both barley and corn are similar.
While onboard the barley delivery vessel, Gerguis explained the different methods used in sampling grains (e.g., barley and corn). He elaborated to the participating Jordanian officials that the utilization of a vacuum pump suction probe is not accepted in the United States for sampling grain exports as it tends to overestimate foreign material in samples.
Gerguis detailed that the correct apparatus for taking samples of grains is a diverter-type (D/T) sampler and or a probe.
The four-day long training program included sessions detailing the role, purpose, and functions of the USDA’s Federal and Grain Inspection Service FGIS). It also included detailed explanations as to how corn is graded and its grading factors, as well as how grains are accurately sampled.
