Agriculture: EU helps Egypt in food crisis

In view of rising prices and an impending food shortage in Egypt, the European Union is providing the country with 100 million euros. The money should help farmers and rural businesses, said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday in Cairo.

The aim is also to increase the capacity of grain storage facilities. Von der Leyen met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss, among other things, food security during the war in Ukraine.

Egypt, with more than 100 million inhabitants the most populous country in the Arab world, is one of the largest wheat importers in the world. Around 80 percent of them have so far come from Russia and Ukraine.

Promote programs related to agriculture

Because the Russian Navy has been blockading the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea since the beginning of the war of aggression, the country is stuck on its supplies. According to Ukrainian data, more than 23 million tons of grain and oilseeds cannot be exported.

“Before the war, Ukraine was the granary of the world,” said von der Leyen. “We must do everything to ensure that the stock of grain is exported.” President Al-Sisi urged support for those countries that are hardest hit by the global food crisis. Von der Leyen announced EU aid of three billion euros for the next few years to promote agriculture and food programs in the region, among other things.

According to official figures, about a third of the population in Egypt lives in extreme poverty. Bread – literally translated as “life” or “subsistence” in Egyptian dialect – is, like rice, an important staple for countless families. In response to rising prices, the government in Cairo temporarily fixed the price of unsubsidized bread in March. Flat bread weighing 45 grams then costs the equivalent of around 2.5 euro cents.