Although it is normal to see a rise in the prices of different food items during the month of Ramadan, which started this year on 10 July, the price increases this year have been particularly sharp. According to Ahmed Yehia, head of the food division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce (CCC), protests and the unstable political conditions that have coincided with Ramadan have urged many consumers to stockpile foodstuffs since mid-June, leading to the large turnouts at supermarkets over the last few weeks. Yehia said that the prices of yamish — the nuts and dried fruit traditionally consumed during the holy month — have increased by 15-20 per cent compared to last year because of the higher value of the US dollar against the Egyptian pound and the higher customs duties imposed by the previous government on a number of products, including yamish, most of which is imported. A roll of qamareddin, used to make apricot juice, is now selling for LE10, a roll of raisons costs LE26, and a kilo of walnuts costs LE125. The prices of meat and poultry have also gone up, with some high-end supermarkets selling a kilo of veal at LE100, of lamb at LE75, and of camel meat at no less than LE50. “Prices have increased by LE5 to LE10 per kilo since the beginning of this month,” said Mohamed Wahba, head of the butchers division at the CCC, adding that the hikes had come amid a poor economic situation that affected the ability of many consumers to purchase expensive foods like meat. Wahba said that the demand for meat was not as high this Ramadan compared to other products because of the high prices of meat that had resulted from higher agricultural costs. As a result, many consumers were looking at poultry and fish as cheaper choices. Poultry prices have been stable since the beginning of Ramadan, and they did not increase during the three weeks before it began. A kilo of poultry sells for between LE18 and LE24, depending on the type of chicken. One factor that poultry vendors believe has helped stabilise prices is the availability of supply, with a daily production capacity of more than two million birds. Fish prices, however, increased dramatically two weeks ahead of Ramadan to reach LE14 for a kilo of tilapia, or bolti fish, up from LE10, and LE30 for a kilo of mullet, or bori, a LE5 increase. The increases are due to shortages of supply and increases in the value of the dollar, which makes importers raise prices in the local market. Mahmoud Al-Askalani, head of the Consumers Against Price Hikes Association, said that some retailers had started to stockpile basic food items before Ramadan and had then withheld them to benefit from any price increases during the holy month. “This has definitely contributed to the price increases of some commodities,” he added. The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade announced last week that its plan to combat price increases in basic foodstuffs would mean putting up to 20 basic food items for sale at lower-than-market prices, in some cases offering reductions of up to 15 per cent, in approximately 1,400 of the ministry's consumer complexes. The Armed Forces have also opened some outlets until the end of Ramadan, in order to sell various food commodities at lower prices to consumers. The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced that the monthly inflation rate of June, 2013 has risen by one per cent as opposed to May, 2013, and that the annual inflation rate increased by 10.9 per cent since June, 2012. CBE also stated specifically that food and beverage prices went up in June, 2013 by 2.3 per cent compared to the preceding month.
