Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Planting of 2025 crops completed in mid-January
- Cereal production in 2024 estimated at near-average level
- Cereal import requirements in 2024/25 forecast at below average level
- Food prices remained high in 2024
- Food security among refugees remain a concern in 2025
Planting of 2025 crops completed in mid-January
Last October, the government increased the procurement price of wheat to 2 200 EGP/ardeb (about 300 USD/tonne) around one-fourth higher than international wheat prices, encouraging farmers to expand plantings which initiated in mid-November and completed in mid-January. The government aims to increase the country’s wheat self-sufficiency from 49 percent in 2024 to 51 percent in 2025, while also diversifying the production of other exportable crops.
Cereal production in 2024 estimated at near-average level
Cereal production in 2024 is estimated at near-average 23.7 million tonnes, reflecting sufficient water supply for irrigation and favourable weather conditions. Furthermore, production benefitted by the implementation of governmental measures aiming at increasing planted area and boosting yields, including the establishment of encouraging procurement cereal prices at the beginning of the season in November and the provision of subsidized seeds and modern mechanization services.
Cereal import requirements in 2024/25 forecast at below-average level
Cereal import requirements for the 2024/25 marketing season (July/June) are forecast at about 21 million tonnes, slightly below-average. Wheat import requirements are projected at 12.5 million tonnes, 4 percent above average, mirroring low international prices and expanded storage facilities to maintain strategic stocks covering four months of national consumption. Maize imports, mostly used for feed, are expected to increase by 4 percent year-on-year, reflecting the gradual growth in domestic poultry meat production, but remaining at below-average level.
Food prices remained high in 2024
As of mid-2024, food inflation followed a decreasing trend, reaching 20.3 percent in December 2024, down from record high 71 percent in September 2023. However, despite the slowdown, food prices remained high in 2024, reflecting the regional economic crisis, the domestic currency devaluation and the cuts in food subsidies. The Egyptian pound reached over 50 EGP/USD in December 2024, its highest rate since the transition from government-controlled to market-driven exchange rate in March 2024. In June 2024, the subsidized price of bread loaf increased by four times, from 0.05 EGP to 0.20 EGP per loaf, marking the first price increase in more than 30 years.
Food security among refugees remain a concern in 2025
As of December 2024, over 877 000 refugees were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the country, nearly doubling the number from the previous year, mostly Sudanese people fleeing from conflict affected areas. According to the UNHCR, the number of registered refugees is expected to reach 1 million by mid-2025. Poor livelihoods and difficulties in obtaining residency permits are making it challenging for many refugees to enter the labour market and limiting their access to public services and essential humanitarian needs including healthcare, food, water and sanitation.