Minister of Supply to President Sisi: Egypt’s strategic wheat stock lasts for 4 months

 

CAIRO- 27 February 2022: In a meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Minister of Supply Aly Moselhy sit that the state’s strategic wheat stock lasts for 4 months and local production season will start in April, with a target of 4 million tons.

 

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met on Sunday with Prime Minister Dr. Moustafa Madbouly, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Dr. Aly Al Moselhy and Head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority Major General Ihab El-Far, to review the status of strategic food commodities and followed up on their availability and prices, as well as ongoing preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, said Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady in a statement.

 

The minister of supply presented the status of the strategic stock of all the state’s basic food commodities, especially wheat, rice, sugar, oil, meat and pourtly and confirmed there is no problem in providing these commodities within the framework of the presidential directives and the state’s planning in advance to maintain the continuity of the strategic stock from these commodities for a period of no less than an average of 5 months.

 

He affirmed that this would not have been achieved without the effort made by the state over the past 7 years to construct strategic grain silos, which enhanced the state’s ability to strategically store basic commodities, particularly wheat.

 

As for the price of local wheat, the Minister said that the price of supplying ardeb was set at 810 Egyptian pounds, with an increase of 100 Egyptian pounds compared to last year. Hence, the state has sufficient reserves to cover the local consumption needs until the end of this year through production, storage capacity and new supply contracts.

 

There is a strategic reserve of sugar that lasts for a period of about 4.5 months, noting that the new season for sugar production from sugar cane and beets started this year in January and February, respectively. Local production, thus, covers 90% of the country’s needs.

 

As for oil, the state's strategic reserve is sufficient for a period of 5.5 months, while continuing to further the preservation of this stock. There is self-sufficient production of rice and the ministry of supply has a strategic stock that lasts for 6.5 months and the strategic stock of fava beans lasts for 3 months. The meeting also reviewed the availability of fresh meat and pourtly and their stock, which lasts for 8.5 months.

 

The President gave directives to maintain the continuity of the state’s strategic stock from basic food commodities and monitor their market prices, especially those listed on the ration card, which the state covers the increases that have been made so far. The President gave directives, in the same context, to complete the following stages of the strategic silos project to increase its capacity and storage.

 

The Spokesman added that the President was also briefed on the government's preparations for the holy month of Ramadan. This includes Ahlan Ramadan Exhibition that will be held at the Fair Ground from 24 March to 2 April. Within this context, 160 storehouses will be opened across the country. The exhibition will see the participation of 2500 branches of local food supply chains. This is in addition to making available Ahlan Ramadan products in 500 branches of the My Association (gam'ity) project affiliated with the Ministry of Supply, as well as dispatching 200 mobile convoys to distribute basic commodities, meat and pourtly.

 

The President underlined the need to provide all commodities in all those outlets at affordable prices to citizens and coordinate with all governorates and chambers of commerce for the preparation and infrastructure necessary for food exhibitions. This is while organizing permanent follow-up campaigns to ensure that exhibitors adhere to the set and announced prices.