After several weeks of skyrocketing retail tomato prices, prices for Egyptian fava beans (foule) have followed suit, currently fetching a per-kilo price of LE7 in some areas.
Experts predict that foule prices will continue to rise until the next bean harvest in March of next year.
“This year’s yield was poor due to the heat,” said bean dealer Shaaban Anwar.
Mohamed Hamdi, another bean dealer, said prices would only come down again when consumers began buying less expensive imported beans.
“They may not taste as good, but they're cheaper,” he said.
Agronomics professor Ahmed al-Khatib, for his part, attributed this year's low bean yield to a preference by farmers for more lucrative crops.
“Ever since the government raised fertilizer prices, foule has become considerably less profitable,” he said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
