Staff report: CAIRO, September 18, 2018 - Abdel Fattah El Sisi Tuesday instructed the government to continue controlling market prices, combatting anti-trust practices and offering subsidised basic foods to the rightful recipients. President Sisi gave his directives during a meeting with Prime Minister Dr Moustafa Madbouli, the ministers of defence, interior, justice, finance, supply and agriculture, the director of the General Intelligence Services and the head of the Administrative Control Authority. During the meeting, the president stressed the importance of protecting the rights of citizens, increasing the amount of subsidies offered to them and providing basic commodities at affordable prices, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said. The meeting also discussed measures adopted by the Ministry of Supply and Domestic Trade to reform the distribution system and put an end to any problems, the spokesman added. The minister of supply told the meeting that his ministry was reviewing the databases of the system. He added that the databases would be updated every day through safe cards and a proper data network. These measures would largely contribute to protecting the rights of the deserving recipients as well as to reforming the system for distributing subsidised basic commodities, Ambassador Radi said. Discussions also covered the latest measures adopted by the Ministry of Supply for providing basic commodities to citizens and making them available in sufficient quantities at mobile and fixed government outlets, Spokesman Radi said. President Sisi stressed the need for a daily follow-up of measures to monitor and control the market. That, the president said, would contribute to providing commodities of a high standard at the best price and in adequate amounts. During the meeting, President Sisi instructed the Minister of Supply to buy this year's rice crop from the local growers at a fair price. He also instructed the Minister of Agriculture to draw-up a strategy for managing government-owned animal farms in order to increase their annual meat output, meet the local market needs, and reduce meat imports, Ambassador Radi said Also reviewed during the meeting were the latest developments pertaining to the economic reform programme, which the government launched three years ago. The Finance Minister, Dr Mohamed Maeet, pledged that he would continue achieving the objectives of the economic reform programme in accordance with the presidential directives to the government. President Sisi stressed the importance of resolving tax disputes between the government and capital owners to boost the confidence of financiers and investors in the Egyptian economy and to preserve the state rights and revenues, Ambassador Radi said. The minister informed the president of his ministry's ongoing efforts to resolve tax disputes between the government and capital owners, Ambassador Radi added. Ambassador Radi said that President Sisi and Minister Maeet reviewed also a set of measures, aimed at increasing the state revenues and reducing the budget deficit as part of the economic reform programme. The programme has earned praise from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the international business community.
