Egypt is witnessing a shortage of essential goods and medicine in shops, which is threatening to exacerbate the present economic crisis, the London-based Arabi21 online news outlet said in a report on Thursday.
Sugar is one of the main items that has become scarce despite a recent government decision to ban its export for three months to meet internal needs.
The high demand for sugar has pushed up its price by 26 percent within a month from June to July, according to Hassan al-Fandi, head of the sugar division at the Egyptian Chamber of Food Industries.
Food prices have generally been rising in Egypt since last year, with the inflation rate hitting 41 percent, according to the Arabi21 report.
Pharmacies are also facing a shortage of medicine, both imported and internally manufactured.
“The lack of medical supplies has become a serious matter,” said Mahmoud Fouad, the director of the Egyptian Center to Protect the Rights of Medicines.
Urging the health ministry to address the issue in a Facebook post last week, he added that patients are having to wait for months to get adequate care due to the lack of supplies.
