This is part of the government's efforts to secure the release of production inputs, fodders, from ports in cooperation with the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE).

The amount included 96,000 tons of corn worth $34.4 million, 41,000 tons of soybeans worth $30 million and feed additives worth about $2.2 million, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

This brings the total amount of fodder released from 16 October 2022 to 25 January to more than 2.8 million tons, including over 2 million tons of corn and 839,000 tons of soybeans and feed additives with a total value of $1.4 billion, according to the statement.

The prices of eggs and poultry in Egypt have been soaring.

The hikes started as producers reported problems in the supply of feed as a result of the backlogged supplies stranded in the ports over curbs previously applied on import finance due to a hard currency crunch.

The appreciation of the dollar against the Egyptian pound since March 2022 also added to the pressure.

This led to a drop in supply to the poultry market and the exit of some producers.

Recently, the government has announced increasing frozen chicken imports to provide it at affordable prices, especially with the expected increase in demand during the holy month of Ramadan.