An ongoing fuel and butane gas shortage is threatening the production of subsidized bread in Cairo and in several Egyptian governorates, according to Abdallah Ghorab, head of the bakeries division at the Federation of Egypt Chambers of Commerce. Bakery owners nationwide reported that many oil stations had unilaterally raised the price for a ton of fuel by LE200, said Ghorab. Ghorab told Al-Masry Al-Youm Monday that he intends to meet with Supply and Social Affairs Minister Gouda Abdel Khaleq to discuss the crisis, which threatens to halt bakeries' production of the bread, a staple of many Egyptians' diet. The official price for a ton of fuel stands at LE1100, Ghorab said. A Supply Ministry source blamed security authorities for the delay in providing adequate fuel and butane gas to Egyptian governorates, attributing the crisis to the lack of security measures taken in transporting the supplies. Since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak last year, Egypt has experienced recurrent fuel and butane gas shortages. The crisis has hit Cairo and other governorates hard, despite the government's reassurances that there are no shortages. Hundreds of citizens in Upper Egypt's Minya Governorate late Sunday blocked the Cairo-Aswan railroad to protest a four-week delay in receiving their share of butane gas cylinders. Their protests hindered railway movement. Fathy Abdel Aziz, head of the Supply and Social Affairs Ministry's Control and Distribution Department, said the ministry has stepped up its surprise inspections of butane gas inventories to ensure that citizens receive their shares. Abdel Aziz said the quantity of butane gas cylinders provided daily stands at 1.5 million, which he said exceeds the normal rate. He said maintaining that level of production should end the current crisis. Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
