Egypt's Supply Ministry has launched an intensive inspection campaign targeting bakeries and markets in Luxor Governorate, resulting in 36 supply-related violations. These violations include selling bread above the prescribed price, producing underweight bread, and failing to display prices. The inspections aim to ensure that citizens can purchase bread at the prescribed prices and weights, without manipulation or exploitation. The ministry has instructed all directorates and inspection authorities to intensify field visits to bakeries, markets, and commercial outlets.
The inspection campaigns concern unsubsidized tourist and fino bread, which are sold separately from Egypt's subsidized baladi bread programme. Subsidized baladi bread remains priced at EGP 0.20 per loaf for beneficiaries under the ration-card system, with the state bearing the difference between the selling price and production cost. The ministry has emphasized that all bakeries must comply with set bread prices and weights, and that it will not tolerate violations or attempts to charge consumers prices above the prescribed levels.
The minister of supply, Alaa Farouk, stated that market monitoring is an ongoing process, not a temporary campaign limited to a specific period. He added that the ministry regularly reviews the outcomes of inspection campaigns and promptly addresses reports or complaints about prices, weights, or product quality. The ministry's goal is to protect citizens' rights and ensure market discipline, with a focus on regulating markets nationwide and ensuring bakeries comply with applicable laws and regulations.
The inspection campaigns come amid renewed calls from the General Division of Bakeries to reassess the cost of producing unsubsidized tourist and fino bread after a sharp rise in flour prices. Flour prices have risen by around EGP 4,500 per ton over the previous week to more than EGP 21,000, increasing the cost of producing a loaf of bread. The Bakery Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce has proposed reducing the loaf's weight by 10 grams as an alternative to raising bread prices.
The Ministry of Supply has stated that the current prices and weights remain governed by Ministerial Directive No. 5 of 2026, while it reviews the actual increase in production costs before taking any decision. Under the directive, the maximum price for unsubsidized tourist bread is EGP 2 for an 80-gram loaf, EGP 1.50 for 60 grams, and EGP 1 for 40 grams. Fino bread is capped at EGP 2 for 50 grams, EGP 1.50 for 40 grams, and EGP 1 for 30 grams.
The rise in flour prices has placed additional financial pressure on bakery owners, with the latest increase translating into an estimated EGP 0.25 rise in the production cost of each loaf. The General Division of Bakeries has called for a review of production costs, citing the sharp rise in flour prices. The ministry has emphasized that it will firmly deal with any attempt to manipulate bread prices or weights, violate bread sales regulations, or exploit consumers.
Egypt's wheat production has been increasing, with the country expected to remain the Arab world's largest wheat producer in 2026, with output projected at 10.2 million tons. Egypt's wheat imports have also decreased, from 13.2 million tons in 2025 to 12.5 million tons in 2026, a 700,000-ton decrease. The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has attributed the increase in domestic wheat output to its policies, which have significantly increased domestic wheat production.
Key points
- Egypt's Supply Ministry has intensified inspections of private bakeries to enforce official prices and weights for unsubsidized tourist and fino bread.
- The inspections aim to protect consumers from price and weight violations, with the ministry emphasizing that it will not tolerate violations or attempts to charge consumers prices above the prescribed levels.
- The rise in flour prices has placed additional financial pressure on bakery owners, with the General Division of Bakeries calling for a review of production costs.
