Madbouly's instructions came during his meeting on Thursday with Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi to follow up on the Supply and Internal Trade Ministry's efforts to provide rice to the local market.

The premier stressed the necessity of meeting the country's needs of strategic goods for six months, as part of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's directives in this regard, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian crisis that threatens global food security.

The supply minister said his ministry is working to make rice available at cooperatives nationwide to reduce its price in the domestic market.

Moselhi noted that the ministry has received 140,000 tons of rice from farmers since the beginning of the harvest season, which continues till mid-December.

The ministry targets receiving some 1.5 million tons of long-grain rice from farmers during the current harvest season, Moselhi said.