Egypt's inflation spikes again, hiking prices of basic food

CAIRO: Inflation in Egypt again hit a new high in February, the government said on Thursday, with prices rising most steeply for food. The country is in the midst of an economic crisis and a currency depreciation.

Annual inflation rose to 32.9 per cent in February, the government statistics agency said, up from 26.5 per cent in January.

Grains, meat, poultry, fish and fruit were among the products with the biggest price spikes.

The statement added that food prices have increased 61.5 per cent since the same time last year.

Egyptians, a nearly a third of whom live in poverty according to official figures, have been striving to keep up with increasing prices since last year, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked worldwide inflation.

The country is the world's largest wheat importer, with most of its imports having traditionally come from eastern Europe.

The war erupted after years of government austerity, the coronavirus pandemic and more than a decade of disruptions to Egypt's economy.

In 2016, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government launched a reform programme aimed at reversing longstanding distortions in Egypt's economy in return for loans from the International Monetary Fund.

To try to curb its current economic turmoil, Egypt secured the latest financial help, a USD 3 billion bailout loan from the IMF, last December. In return, el-Sissi's government committed to various IMF-guided economic reforms, including a free-floating exchange rate for the Egyptian pound and a reduction in fuel subsidies.

Its currency is now trading at more than 30 Egyptian pounds to the dollar, a more than 50% loss of value since this time last year.

Earlier this month, the government raised the price of some types of gasoline in a move that will likely further push up the prices of other goods and services.

To try to alleviate the burdens on normal Egyptians, the government has set up markets selling basic goods for cheaper prices and increased public servants' pay. On March 3, El-Sissi announced that government employees would receive pay increases of 1000 Egyptian pounds a month (roughly USD 32).