CAIRO - The price hikes of basic commodities have dealt a heavy blow to the Egyptians' joy in Ramadan, the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, festivities and family reunions. In Cairo, the traditional Ramadan shopping frenzy was muted, due to soaring prices, as the residents prepared for the holy fasting month, which started last week. During Ramadan, extended families break the fast with a big iftar meal that usually consists of meat, vegetables, rice and a cooked dessert. Hajj Mohammed, who sells dried fruit in the bustling southern Cairo neighbourhood of el-Sayyeda Zeinab, says: "People can't afford dates this year.” The market in the densely populated area of Ain Shams in northern Cairo has been equally quiet, with residents stocking up on smaller quantities of rice, macaroni, sugar, tea and vegetables, whose prices soared before the holy month began on August 11. "We just want a little serenity and calm to return to rice and sugar prices," says Umm Abdel-Rahman, a housewife and mother of two children. She adds her household budget cannot cope with the latest price rises. Meat and poultry have become incredibly expensive, but that doesn't matter to Umm Abdel-Rahman, as her family stopped buying beef and chicken long ago. "The country's poor, like my family, can no longer afford to eat meat during Ramadan when prices traditionally rise," she explains. In areas like Heliopolis and Nasr City, the price of one kilo of beef has leapt to LE65. The Government has failed to bring food prices down, Sawsan Fahmi, a bank employee, complains. In early August, the Government of Ahmed Nazif announced that it would do more to stabilise prices in a bid to help poor families who are struggling to make ends meet. People thought this would mean the prices wouldn't rise in time for Ramadan, but of course they have. "These efforts have proved to be futile because the price of one kilo of sugar has reached LE4.50, and the price of fruits and vegetables has soared since the beginning of Ramadan," says Sawsan, a mother of three. "These are basic components of the sohour, the pre-dawn meal, which the faithful eat. So how about the cost of the iftar meal?" she asks, adding that this year many families cannot afford Ramadan treats like dried nuts. Nor can they afford to invite their neighbours to iftar banquets, as they used to do. "This is the only month when families get together for banquets. But this year, middle-class families cannot afford these get-togethers," Sawsan says, adding that the people who invited her last year haven't invited her this year. For poor people like Umm Hoda, fuul is a main staple in the sohour and iftar meals. But this year Umm Hoda says that the shops near her home have decided not to sell a small portion of stewed fuul for less than LE1. "Such a portion isn't even enough to fill a child anyway," she explains. Lubna el-Sayyed, a bread seller, says that the prices of basic foods and dairy products have gone crazy and the poor people cannot cope. Souad Ali, who sells eggs in the street, wants the Government to strike the rogue traders with an iron fist, while the concerned authorities must monitor the market prices during the year. She says that she has bought and cooked only half the food she did last Ramadan. "I am not buying the same things as I did last year," she explains, sadly adding that Ramadan reminds her of her poverty. "It's the most difficult Ramadan my family has ever seen, with widespread shortages and skyrocketing prices in the local market. The price increases have added greatly to our grief; it's more than we can bear.” Raghda, a 40-year-old mother of two, says the little money she is able to scrape together will have to go for supplies for her children for the coming school year and not for Ramadan food and new clothes for the feast (Eid el-Fitr [the Lesser Bairam] at the end of the holy fasting month). "I have noticed an increase in the prices of staple foods, the foods we use in our everyday meals, such as rice, vegetables, bread and meat. They raise the prices of the things that we need the most," says Raghda. "I think the rise in prices is unjustified since they know that during Ramadan we consume more. They are putting more pressure on households."
