The crisis in Sudan has prompted Egypt to seek new African sources for imports of chilled and frozen meat, said Ibrahim Ashmawi, first assistant to the minister of supply and head of the Egyptian Commodity Exchange.
Ashmawi noted that Egypt continues to import meat from neighboring Sudan, but not to the same extent as before the start of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The official explained that "the crisis in Sudan has led Egypt to seek new African suppliers for the import of chilled and frozen meat," adding that these new meat imports "had a significant impact on increasing the amount of supply during the last Eid al-Adha."
"Egypt is still importing from Sudan because it is a major source, and we have cattle heads and slaughterhouses, especially at the Arqin crossing on the Egyptian-Sudanese border," he said. "The supply chains are still working, but not to the same extent as before the crisis."
The assistant to the Egyptian Minister of Supply noted that his country consumes about 1.4 million tons of meat annually, of which 53% is produced locally and 47% is imported.
In November 2021, a report issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture's livestock department revealed that the North African country's red meat consumption reached 900,000 tons that year, split between 430,000 tons of imported meat and 470,000 tons of locally produced meat.
In April 2023, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali El-Moselhi revealed that Egypt's meat reserves would only last for less than two months, adding that the ministry is considering diversifying the country's sources of meat and livestock imports from Somalia and Chad as part of a strategy to boost Egypt's stocks of basic commodities.