The Egyptian government stressed on Friday that the country’s strategic reserve of wheat is “enough and safe.” In a statement, the cabinet denied any circulated news about the shortage of the grain, adding that “9 million tons of local wheat are expected to be harvested this season.”
“After communicating with ministries of agriculture and trade, we assure the citizens about the strategic reserve of wheat,” the statement added. “Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, has enough stock of the grain for seven or eight months,” it added.
On Thursday, Minister of Supply, Ali Moselhy, said strategic reserves of all basic commodities are “enough for at least three months.” He said the North African country is expected to purchase 3.6 million tons of wheat starting from April 15 to cover 4.5 months of consumption. Egypt is planning to import 800,000 tons of the grain during this year’s harvest season following a request from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, he added.
