Status: 02.04.2022 4:27 p.m
Food prices are rising in Egypt as a result of the war in Ukraine. This hits people particularly hard at the beginning of Ramadan and becomes a serious problem for the state.
Mahmoud Mohamed stacks small round loaves of bread on a wooden lattice. They’re still warm when he sells them. Many of his middle-class customers in Cairo take two dozen or more – the daily ration for a family of six. But more and more are opting for a smaller quantity or leaving the bakery without bread. “There are many who leave without buying anything,” says Mahmoud Mohamed. “Since we started selling the bread at a higher price, many are holding back.”
In recent weeks, the price of bread in Egypt has risen by up to 50 percent; at least for the varieties that are not subsidized by the state. Because the most populous country in the Arab world imports large quantities of wheat – so far mainly from Russia and Ukraine.
Bread is one of the most important foods for the more than 100 million Egyptians. The stocks lasted for several months, according to official sources. But the rising prices for bread and other foods are already causing problems for many families. You have to limit yourself further. Even the traditionally sumptuous fast-breaking in Ramadan is much smaller in many places this year.
Higher prices, fewer purchases
“There is nothing we can do without entirely,” says Sahar Youssef. The mother of four lives in a village in the Nile Delta, about 30 kilometers from Cairo. Their expenses for food have made up about two thirds of the family income so far. Now Sahar Youssef buys less of everything.
And a small packet of dried dates that she received as a gift must now last for the whole of Ramadan. She used to buy five kilos to break her fast every evening at sunset in the traditional way.
Cairo has decorated itself for Ramadan. But the Egyptians have to check very carefully what they can still afford.
Image: REUTERS
Food donations – more important than ever
Many Egyptians celebrate Ramadan much more modestly – if at all: they are dependent on the food donations provided for them by wealthier compatriots. Lavishly laid tables for the needy in the middle of the city are a tradition during the month of fasting. They were banned for two years – because of the corona pandemic.
But this year the rush should be big again. Because the number of poor people in Egypt is high. According to official figures, a third of Egyptians live on less than two dollars a day.
Subsidized for decades
That’s why the state has been offering subsidized bread to the majority of the population for decades – in special bakeries where the so-called “Aisch Baladi” is produced. “Bread is very important for the Egyptians,” says Nada Arafat, a journalist for the independent news portal Mada Masr:
Egypt is the only country where the word for bread, ‘Aish’, means ‘life’. This word shows how important bread is to people. This was also shown by the demands of the demonstrators during the 2011 revolution. The first thing people asked for was bread. That came before the demands for freedom and social justice.
The shelves are still full of bread. But state subsidies can hardly absorb the price increase.
Image: AFP
Riots because of the price of bread
There have been riots several times in recent Egyptian history: when the price of bread went up, thousands of people took to the streets to protest. In 1977 President Anwar al-Sadat was forced to abandon a planned increase in the price of bread. His successor Hosni Mubarak suppressed protests against a price increase in 2008.
These days, the Egyptian government is doing everything it can to avoid resentment and to calm the population, especially Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly. He wants to make his country independent of wheat deliveries from Russia and Ukraine.
“We are already buying wheat from various other countries,” he emphasized at a press conference. In this way, the government ensures that the wheat will come from different sources in the future.
Saving – hardly possible for many
In a talk show, the well-known presenter Amr Adib gives his compatriots tips on how to manage better in times of rising prices. In the US, for example, people would bake their own bread, he says, and recommends putting less money on the high edge.
But many Egyptians don’t have a cent left anyway. Ashraf Sabry for example. The father of three has a full-time job at a food company, but still has to calculate what he’s feeding them. “I make a sandwich for my kids in the morning. Bread is twice as expensive now. If I add an egg for each child, we need another income.”