CAIRO - Throughout the year, Baheera Safwat, a mother of four, always saves money from her monthly household budget to buy the traditional goodies for Ramadan, one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. She did the same this year. But she was in for an unpleasant surprise. “I have discovered that my savings are too small. They cannot cope with the sharp rise in the prices of food and many items popular in Ramadan,” she says. According to her, the prices of beef, poultry, rice and sugar – goods that are normally consumed in large quantities in Ramadan – have increased. Consumption of rice surges by 400 per cent in Ramadan, local newspapers quoted Galal Omran, an official in the Chamber of Foodstuffs, as saying. “The price of beef has leapt from LE54 [about $9] to LE70 per kilo, while the price of sugar has almost doubled,” she said. “Merchants have apparently taken advantage of the lack of governmental control, as the whole situation in the country is unstable.” Egypt has been gripped by protests for wider reforms and higher wages since a popular revolt forced Mubarak to step down, after 30 years in power. Several sectors, mainly tourism, have borne the brunt of the turmoil in the country. In the run-up to Ramadan, when consumption rates traditionally rise, Egyptians stock up on food to be eaten each evening, after long hours of fasting. Muslims have to abstain from eating, drinking and having sex from dawn to dusk during the holy fasting month. “This Ramadan is different,” says Mahmoud al-Qamash, a dealer in yameesh (dried fruit and nuts), which is very popular in Ramadan. “People are reluctant to part with their money because they are worried about tomorrow.” Al-Qamash reports a drop of more than 50 per cent in his sales, compared to last year. “Customers have obviously cut their spending on Ramadan merchandise, in order to buy necessities like staple foodstuffs and clothes,” he explains. “They show up only to have a look at the price tags, then leave without buying. Those, who do buy yameesh and the pastries that people love eating in Ramadan are only buying very small quantities.” The dried apricots and figs in yameesh are usually imported from Syria and Turkey. Their prices have soared this year, according to local newspapers. Some Egyptians believe that, in the post-Mubarak era, people should change their consumption patterns in order to revitalise the national economy. The non-governmental group, Citizens against High Prices, has launched a campaign against shopping for luxury goods in Ramadan. “We can live without yameesh,” the group says on its Facebook page. “Save your money for necessary things.” “We are living in revolutionary days. We want our country to change for the better. But first we should change,” says Nawal Osama, a law student. “I have persuaded my parents to donate the money they usually spend on Ramadan shopping on charitable causes,” she adds. Nawal proudly explains that, upon her advice, some of her friends have used their money to buy bags containing food items such as macaroni, cooking oil, sugar and rice for poor families. Around 40 per cent of Egypt 's 80 million people are believed to be living below the poverty line.
