Egypt aims to produce 5 million tons of wheat

Egypt plans to procure 5 million tons of local wheat next season, aiming to reduce its dependence on imports, the Ministry of Supply said on Sunday. Typically, Egypt imports around 10 million tons annually, with the state buyer acquiring roughly half of that for the subsidized bread program, which serves 70 million citizens.

However, in the first half of this year, imports fell by a quarter compared to the same period last year, while the government’s share dropped by more than half to 1.6 million tons. This change is linked to the shift in the state buyer from the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) to the military-linked company Future of Egypt for Sustainable Development (Mostakbal Misr).

The ministry reported that it purchased over 4 million tons of wheat during the domestic harvest, although Reuters data shows acquisitions of about 3.9 million tons — slightly below the announced target of 4–5 million tons for the season running from mid-April to mid-August. Strategic commodity reserves remain at safe levels and exceed last year’s in certain categories, the ministry noted without providing further details. In November 2024, wheat stocks covered five months of consumption, below the desired six-month threshold.

Tags: Egypt, wheat, imports