A recent study on Egypt’s food and energy crisis has revealed Egypt to be among the largest importers of wheat in the world.
Egypt, the report found, spends LE17 billion every year to import more than six million tons of the commodity annually, accounting for 60 percent of total domestic demand.
The study, prepared by Alaa Hassaballah, board member of the Alexandria Foodstuff Association, also noted that Egypt’s annual per capita wheat consumption stood at 180 kg–double the international average.
The study further noted that Egyptians consume a total of 220 million loaves of bread every day, which the government subsidizes at a cost of LE30 billion a year. The report also found that a total of 20 million loaves of unconsumed bread were discarded daily throughout Egypt.
The study also noted that Egypt imported 90 percent of its domestic demand for lentils and cooking oil.
“Poor nutritional habits cause heart problems,” Hassaballah stressed. “Some 45 percent of Egyptians die from heart attacks.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
