Egypt is able to grow barely half of its demand for wheat and is the world’s largest importer of the crop. The country is therefore seriously exposed to the dramatic rise in world food prices, the latent threat to human development lying in the bulge of over 20% of the population which hovers just above the poverty line, already spending a large proportion of household income on food. The government has responded by holding the subsidised price of baladi bread which is available to all but normally shunned by the middle classes due to its lower quality. The inevitable increase in demand has led to shortages and, with the public mood becoming volatile, the army has been requisitioned to bake additional supplies. This bread subsidy costs the government almost $3.5 billion pa. The ration card scheme which subsidises essential foodstuffs such as rice and sugar has been extended to an additional 17 million people so that more than half of the population is now eligible. Exports of rice have been banned in order to protect supplies.

Although population growth of over 2% pa is a factor to consider in Egypt’s long term food security, it is the dominant and unforgiving desert terrain which limits production. The title of the government department responsible for farming – the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation – signifies Egypt’s belief in the potential of reclaiming land for agriculture. Major development plans are in place to progress towards food sufficiency by this means.

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