Egypt expects to produce 2.3 million tonnes of beet and cane sugar during this year's harvest and aims to import less than last year's amount of 800,000 tonnes, agriculture ministry spokesman Hamed Abdel-Dayem told Reuters on Thursday.

Egypt last year faced a severe sugar shortage that led to public outrage and the government seizing stocks, confiscating supplies from businesses it accused of hoarding as prices shot up.

Egypt typically consumes 3 million tonnes of sugar a year but produces just over 2 million tonnes, with the gap filled by government and private imports usually purchased between July and October.