Egypt's economy has been weakened by successive political events which have affected tourism, one of the most popular sources of income. As Egypt's citizens struggle, the state has launched a number of measures to help citizens, out of fear that the dire economic situation may push them to react with uprisings or revolutions sparked by hunger.
Within the scope of its endeavors to help citizens, the Ministry of Supply announced May 20 the implementation of the initiative known as Ahlan Ramadan (Welcome, Ramadan), was launched with the beginning of the month of Ramadan (which started June 6) and offering basic commodities at discounted prices. Indeed, 90 Ahlan Ramadan temporary storefronts were opened across Egypt’s governorates between May 25 and June 13.
Al-Monitor compared prices listed on news websites and newspapers of basic commodities featured in Ahlan Ramadan stores with prices of the same commodities purchased from the regular market. It was noted that Ahlan Ramadan is offering basic commodities at discounted prices, including fruit and vegetables.
Khaled El-Shafie, an economic expert, told Al-Monitor, “It is good that the state is trying to help the citizens, but [opening temporary stores] for basic commodities is not a radical solution. The solution is to create a system for prices and a consumer protection system while increasing production.”
In the context, it should be noted that Egypt Prime Minister Sherif Ismail issued a decision May 24 to open an operations room at the Information and Decision Making Support Center to follow up on adjusting and reducing prices of food commodities in the market before the start of Ramadan.
The Ministry of Supply approved in 2013 guiding pricing for some goods such as fruits and vegetables, but Khaled Hanafi, the current Minister of Supply, canceled it in March 2014, saying in a press conference that it “implies the approval of the black market,” without giving further explanation.
The ministry may have decided to cancel these guiding prices in light of their rejection by numerous merchants, since it feared they would resort to illegally bringing in and selling goods on the black market, which could raise the prices and allow the entry of spoiled goods, as the black market would not be under the government’s supervision.
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