February 6, 2023

Eat This Podcast: Food Security in Egypt

The price of subsidised bread in Egypt has not changed in decades, though the bread shrunk. That remains a huge challenge to security, for the government and the people.

“Twenty loaves of bread for the cost of a cigarette”

Wheat yields in Egypt are among the highest in Africa, but they are no match for the population, which is why Egypt is the biggest buyer of wheat on the global market.

Even when government raises the price it will pay for local wheat, the farmers who grow it prefer to keep their harvest — for their own family food security — rather than sell it to promote the government’s security.

This is just one of the challenges Jessica Barnes brings to light in her new book, Staple Security: Bread and Wheat in Egypt.

Take a listen to our conversation

All the best

Jeremy