(Photo Courtesy of khaled Hanafy’s facebook page)
Half a million deceased Egyptians will be removed from the subsidised food commodities ration cards, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Khaled Hanafy announced Sunday.
The minister explained that this is a step to ensure the subsidised goods reach those who need it and to preserve the state’s rights. He added that citizens who have been travelling for over six month will also be removed.
The value of subsided commodities in the state budget is approximately EGP 31bn. Of this, EGP 13bn goes to essential food commodities, while some EGP 18bn is allocated to bread subsidies.
Hanafy said that around 70 million citizens benefit from the ration cards, adding that Egypt has over 18m cards.
In April, the Ministry of Supply announced that citizens registered on ration cards will receive 150 loaves of bread per month at the price of 5 piastres per the loaf. The ministry added that the new subsidy plan aims to “develop the consumer complexes to offer discounted foods and necessary commodities”.
In October, Hanafy announced that three international logistics centres for food commodities are to be constructed in Damietta, East Port Said, and Safaga.
The project will be in collaboration with the ministries of Transport and Housing, with investments estimated at EGP 13bn, and is expected to provide about 20,000 jobs during construction and operation. The project is expected to be completed in two years.
