Health Min. confirms availability of baby formula in markets

CAIRO – 11 July 2018: Strategic reserves of the baby formula milk are enough for many months to come, Minister of Health, Hala Zayed, announced on Wednesday.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Zayed confirmed that the ministry is committed to maintaining the required amounts of the baby formula milk reserves, pointing out that the ministry signed an agreement with the National Service Projects Organization (NSPO) to monthly pump 1 million baby formula packs into the local markets.

Since taking office in June, Zayed ordered to quickly provide the local market with large quantities of the baby formula milk since that market has been suffering huge shortage of the baby dairy products for so long.

Back in 2016, and after a major public outcry, the Armed Forces criticized what they called the “monopoly practices of the companies importing baby formula milk" and took it upon themselves to address the severe milk formula shortage by pumping locally-produced milk formula into the market at decreased prices.

In late January, former trade Minister Tarek Kabil unveiled plans by Poland's Polfa consortium to set up a complex for baby formula production in 10th of Ramadan city at investments of LE 600 million at the first stage.

The project is set to be financed through the Polish Development Bank, according to a statement by the ministry.

The second stage of the project will include the manufacturing of dairy products like cheese and butter, with total investments of LE 1.5 billion for the first and second stages.

Production is likely to start by the end of 2018. The project will help secure the local market's needs of baby formula with the possibility of exporting part of the output to some Arab and African countries.