Economic experts think that the choice of food available in the coming holy month of Ramadan will see some change. The prices of meat, poultry and dairy products are bound to increase, while the prices of sugar and wheat remain stable. Rice and nuts are getting cheaper. It is common knowledge that people eat 70 per cent more during Ramadan, according to a study conducted by the Chamber of Foodstuffs. Consumption of sugar and pastry increases even by 100 per cent, meat and poultry by 50 per cent and diary products by 60 per cent. The consumption of rice and wheat increases only by 25 per cent. Mohamed Shukry, the head of Chamber of Foodstuffs, states that global prices haven't witnessed an increase in recent weeks and local prices are based on supply and demand. He notes that Egypt's stock of basic commodities such as wheat and sugar is sufficient for the next six months. However, the private sector is responsible for providing the local market with the remaining foodstuffs, and the companies in question have pledged not to raise prices during Ramadan. Global prices have decreased in comparison to August 2011, which coincided with Ramadan. A tonne of sugar has decreased from $756 to $577, a reduction of $179 or 20 per cent. A tonne of wheat was $280 and has gone down to $240, a decrease of $40 or 18 per cent. Powdered milk has remained stable at $3,800 per tonne. Tarek Tawfik, the former head of the Chamber of Foodstuffs, is expecting an increased demand on poultry during the first week of Ramadan that may lead to slightly higher prices. The poultry price of LE12.50 per kilo has been stable for a month. Abdul Aziz el-Sayyed, the head of the Poultry Section at the Chamber of Commerce, notes that the owners of poultry shops raise the prices independently and without communicating with the concerned bodies, by increasing production. It amounts now to l.9 million birds per day, an increase of 100,000 birds compared to last year. The price of imported meat has decreased in the last couple of months, but they are expected to rise during the holy month of Ramadan. According to Hamdi el-Naggar, the head of Imports at the Chamber of Commerce, meat prices have decreased from LE4,750 per tonne to LE4000 ($666.6), particularly as far as meat from India and Latin America is concerned. El-Naggar told Al-Wafd opposition newspaper that the prices of imported groceries have also gone down. Ragab Shehata, the head of the Rice Section, revealed that rice prices have witnessed a big reduction in recent months. He stressed that the price of rice wouldn't be raised. Nut prices have also witnessed a remarkable decrease based on a reduction of global prices amounting to 20 or even 40 per cent. Nut imports have decreased by 50 per cent on average; but large quantities were stored last year.
