The Egyptian government said today that Egypt has sufficient wheat reserves for approximately five months, while reports warned of shortages of flour reserves. The Ministry of Social Solidarity received a report from the Minister of Local Development who warned that reserves of flour at bakeries and mills were not enough. Minister of Social Solidarity Gouda Abdel Khaleq, meanwhile, said strategic reserves of local wheat exceed 2.5 million tons, an amount sufficient to meet consumption needs for 150 days. The Ministry of Agriculture also announced that it has imported 1,036,000 tons of wheat in the period between 25 January and 3 March, compared to 1,027,000 tons during the same period last year. Minister of Agriculture Ayman Abu Hadeed said an urgent plan has been made to raise the awareness of farmers of the importance of growing more wheat to be used by the state to make bread. In statements to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Abu Hadeed said farmers are expected to supply more than two million tons of wheat this season, to be provided starting the end of this month. Abu Hadeed added that the state has raised the purchasing price of wheat to encourage farmers to increase the amounts they supply to the granaries of the Ministry of Investment.
