Egypt signs deal to purchase 235,000 T of wheat from Russia
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Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko said in June that wheat deliveries from Russia to Egypt may exceed over eight million tonnes this year.
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A worker collects Egyptian traditional 'baladi' flatbread at a bakery in el-Sharabia, Shubra district, Cairo (AP)
The Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported Tuesday that the Egyptian General Authority For Supply Commodities signed a contract to purchase 235,000 tonnes of Russian wheat.
According to the report, the first batch of 175,000 tonnes of Russian wheat will be delivered to Egypt between September 15 and 30.
The second batch of 60 tonnes will be supplied between October 1 and 15, the report added.
Egypt is Russia’s largest grain importer, and also the biggest grain importer in the world, with some 11-13 million tons being purchased from abroad yearly.
Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko said in June that wheat deliveries from Russia to Egypt may exceed over eight million tonnes this year.
In previous years, Egypt used to purchase about six million tonnes of wheat from Russia.
Moscow and Cairo managed to develop an elaborate system to circumvent sanctions on Russia when the conflict in Ukraine broke out, the diplomat added.
Read more: Egypt receives 63,000 tons of grain from Russia
On January 9, Egyptian Supply and Internal Trade Minister Ali Moselhi told Russian news agency Sputnik that Egypt is planning on importing around 4 million tonnes of wheat in 2023 for bread production, which is subsidized by the government in Cairo.
"The annual consumption of wheat [for state-subsidized bread production] in Egypt is estimated at 9 million tonnes. This year we plan to receive 5 million tonnes of local wheat and import 4 million tonnes," Moselhi said.
The head of the farmers' syndicate in Egypt, Hussein Abu Saddam, told AFP in October 2022 that he has already observed an exodus from the countryside brought on by the changing climate.
Agriculture in Egypt -- "one of the aridest countries in the world" -- has grown even less profitable because of new climate-linked hazards such as "the appearance of new parasites," he said. "Young people from rural areas are migrating abroad or to big cities to work in the industry."
Egypt is highly dependent on imports when it comes to the key raw material used to make bread in a country whose population perceives the good as an essential staple to a meal.
Read more: End of grain deal to have major consequences on global food security
