In a meeting for the Committee to manage the Russian-Ukrainian crisis at Cabinet, Moselhy stated that the ministry succeeded in getting 2.7 million tonnes of wheat from different countries during the crisis including France, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Germany.
He added that Egypt has a strategic reserve of rice that covers 3.2 months while the strategic reserve of subsidized sugar covers 6.6 months.
The strategic reserve of subsidized oil covers 5.3 months while the strategic reserves of live meat cover about 14 months, the minister added.
In 2020, Egypt – the largest wheat importer – imported 12.8 million tonnes of wheat for about $3.2 billion, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS).
In recent years, Egypt has imported nearly 80 percent of its grain from Russia and Ukraine through the Black Sea due to its high quality, competitive pricing, and geographical proximity.
In late July, the Minister of Supply stated that Egypt has received all the wheat shipments for which it had signed agreements with Russia and Ukraine prior to the war between the two countries, with the exception of one 63,000-tonnes shipment that is still stuck in the Black Sea.
About 300,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat that were bought by Egypt were stranded in Ukraine in May, Reuters reported at the time.
Egypt has harvested over 4 billion tonnes of wheat in the ongoing harvest season – which started in April and will continue until the end of August – with a total cost of EGP 23 billion according to officials.
Aside from the strategic food commodities’ reserves, the committee headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly discussed other related issues that impacts Egypt during the crisis.
According to Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the number of Egyptian university students that are still in Ukraine is less than 100 students adding that around 600 Egyptian students who used to study in Ukrainian universities have joined Egyptian universities.
He revealed that the third and last evaluation test for Egyptian students who returned from Ukraine will be held next September.
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