Egypt wheat reserves sufficient for 5.5 months, says minister

Egypt’s strategic reserves of wheat stocks are sufficient for almost six months, up from only four months on average since the start of the Russian-Ukraine war, the finance minister said yesterday.

Ali Moselhi told reporters Cairo had focused on “purchasing local wheat production since the beginning of the harvest,” adding that it had amounted to “3.9 million tonnes.”

“Egypt’s rice reserves are sufficient for a period of about 100 days, while sugar reserves are adequate for just over six months,” the minister pointed out.

Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer, with an annual total consumption of some 22.5 million tonnes. Its total production stands at 13.5 million tonnes.

Global wheat and grain supplies have been negatively affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The two countries are among the world’s six largest wheat exporters.

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