How did Egypt achieve self-sufficiency in basic commodities in the past 5 years?

CAIRO – 20 April 2021: The Egyptian Center for Thought and Studies prepared a recent study entitled "Narrowing the food gap towards achieving self-sufficiency in basic commodities." The study indicated that bridging the food gap between the citizens' needs and the available resources is one of the most important priorities of the state, to avoid the harmful impact of the population increase.

The state seeks to fill this food gap by importing from abroad, and the competent authorities also seek, according to the directives of the President of the Republic, to provide basic commodities and ensure there is sufficient stock for several months, to make them available to citizens.

The study indicated that there were commodities with a reserve for a period of three months and others with a reserve of 6 months. The study also highlighted the efforts to increase the reserve of basic commodities for more than six months, to avoid the shortage of some basic commodities such as wheat, rice, sugar crops, oil, red meat, pourtly, and fish.

The study confirmed that wheat was one of the most important food grain crops that most citizens depend on in their daily diet, as bread, and as an ingredient used in the manufacture of sweets and pastries.

According to the statistical yearbook, for 2020 issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, the percentage of wheat crop area reached 313,500 feddans at the level of the governorates of the Republic, with a production volume of 855,900 tons in 2019.

The self-sufficiency ratio of wheat increased from 34.5 percent in 2017 to 35.5 percent in 2018 and reached 40.3 percent in 2019.

According to the Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics, the local production of sugar cane reached 15,823 tons in 2018, and the local production of sugar beet reached 10,377 tons, while the available consumption of sugar cane reached 15,825 tons and that of sugar beet reached 10,361 tons.

Total fish production increased from 15.2 hundred thousand tons with a value of LE 23.4 billion in 2015 to reach 19.3 hundred thousand tons with a value of LE 48.3 billion in 2018.

As for the area of fish farms, it reached 3.100 thousand feddans in 2018, while the percentage of fish farms and rice fields for fish production increased from 77.4 percent in 2015 to 80.7 percent in 2018.

Regarding meat, domestic production increased to 858 thousand tons in 2018, and the average per capita share of meat improved annually to 13 kg per person in 2018.

Regarding the self-sufficiency rate of red meat, it has improved, rising from 46.9 percent in 2018 to 55 percent in 2019.

The study indicated that the competent authorities sought to develop strategies, programs, and plans to introduce advanced technologies and pay attention to providing basic commodities through increasing cultivated areas and producing important crops like food grains, especially wheat.

In the same context, the cabinet media center has denied reports on shortage in food supplies during the holy month of Ramadan.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the cabinet media center said it had contacted the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade which described such reports are groundless saying that all commodities are available at the various branches of consumer cooperatives and other outlets.

The ministry also noted that the strategic stock of basic commodities covers up the upcoming several months, adding that daily campaigns are launched to check on supply outlets to ban any manipulation in prices and fight monopoly.

The ministry urged the media and social media sites to be accurate in reporting and contact concerned bodies to check the credibility of any news. The ministry also urged consumers to report violations through its hotline No. 19588.