CAIRO – Price hikes of basic commodities have dealt a heavy blow to the Egyptians' joy of Ramadan, the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, festivities and family reunions. In Cairo, a traditional shopping frenzy has been slow due to soaring prices, as the residents prepare for Ramadan when extended families break the fast with a big iftar meal that usually consists of meat, vegetables, rice and a cooked dessert. Haj Mohamed, a dry nuts vendor in the bustling Cairo's Hadayek el-Qubba neighbourhood, said: “People cannot afford to buy reasonable amounts of food this year”. But, the market in this densely populated area has been bustling with an unusual slow activity with residents stocking up small amounts of rice, macaroni, sugar, tea and leguimes, whose prices soared before the holy month, which is expected to start on Monday. "We just want a little serenity and calm to rice and sugar prices," said Umm Abdul Rahman, a housewife and mother of two children. Umm Abdul Rahaman added that her household budget has been ruined by these new price increases especially meat and poultry, the two food items she and her family have boycotted long ago. "The country's poor, like my family, have refrained from eating meat during Ramadan when prices traditionally rise," she said. In some nearby areas like Heliopolis and Nasr City, the price of one kilo of beef has jumped to LE65 ($ 11). The Government's efforts have failed to bring food prices down, Sawsan Fahmi, a bank employee, has also complained. This month, the Government of Essam Sharaf announced that it would exert more efforts to stabilise prices in a bid to help poor families who are struggling to make ends meet. It has said that the aim of these efforts is to help the country's poor from any price hikes during Ramadan when some rogue traders hike commodity prices. "These efforts proved to be futile because the price of one kilo of sugar has reached LE6.50, and the price of fruits and vegetables has soared before the beginning of Ramadan," Sawsan, a mother of three children, said. "These are basic components of the sohoor, the pre-dawn meal, which the faithful eat. So, how about the costs of the iftar meal?" she asked, swearing that this year many families could not buy Ramadan treats like dried nuts, or could not afford giving joint iftar banquets because of price hikes. "This is the only month when families get together for banquets. But this year, no middle-class family can afford these get-togethers," Sawsan said, adding that the same people who invited her last year would not be able to invite her this year. For poor people like Umm Hoda, fuul (beans) is a main staple in the sohoor and iftar meals. But, this year, Umm Hoda said that many shops near her house had decided not to sell any portion of stewed fuul less than LE1.5. "A portion of stewed fuul worth LE1.5 is not even enough for a child," she said. Lubna el-Sayyed, a bread seller in el-Dweidar Street, said that the prices of basic foods and dairy products were going up like crazy and the poor people were unable to catch up with them. Soad Al, a street seller of eggs, demanded that the Government should strike rogue traders with an iron fist and that the authorities concerned must monitor market prices during Ramadan. Soad has said that she is buying and cooking half of the food quantities she used to get last Ramadan. "I am not buying the same things as I did last year," she said, adding that Ramadan reminds her of poverty. "It is the most difficult Ramadan my family will see, with skyrocketing prices at the local market," Soad said. "The price increase has added so much to our grief; it's more than we can bear," she added. Raghda, a 40-year-old mother of two, says the little money she has been able to save will be used to buy supplies for the coming school year for her two children and not for Ramadan food and new clothes for the Lessen Feast. "I have noticed an increase in the prices of staple foods, which we use in our everyday meals, such as rice, vegetables, bread and meat. The traders are raising the prices of the things that we need the most," said Raghda. "I think the rise in prices is unjustified, since they know that during Ramadan we consume more, so this way they are creating more pressure on households."
