To standard heights, a sharp drop in vegetable prices in Egypt

In recent months I have felt the weight of prices. When I go to the market to buy vegetables, I find the prices incredibly high. I couldn’t buy enough, but suddenly everything changed and I began to see that the prices dropped significantly, so that Doaa Abdel Baqi, the widow who counts 3 children in different educational stages, says to the suffering she suffered to control the budget of her small home amid her monthly income. The prices of vegetables in Egypt dropped during the first two months of this year with the rates of 25 and 80%, compared to the last quarter of last year, due to the increase in supply and the decline in the demand for purchase, according to 3 people, including a government official who spoke to Al -Sharq. Hatem Al -Nojeeb, Deputy Chief of the Vegetable Division of the Federation of Commerce Rooms, attributes the decline in the prices of vegetables to the increase in the supply of production with the improvement of the ripe degree during the current winter compared to last year, in which the coldness increased in addition to soil storms. Acute declines were witness to the prices of the tomato commodity, a drop of more than 85%, as the price currently scored 3.5 pounds in the last quarter of last year, as well as potatoes with 60%, the option with 25%, and zucchini with 50%. Al -najeeb added that the prices of vegetables dropped with the rates of 60 and 70% during the first two months of this year compared to the last quarter in 2024, which was witness to vegetable prices record increases. Tomatoes are grown in Egypt throughout the year at 5 “seasons” overlap. The winter loop represents 40% of cultivated tomatoes grown in September and October and yields its fruit in January, February and March. Egypt grows about 550,000 tomatoes, with a total production of about 6 million tons. Inflation in the cities of Egypt delayed to 24.1% in December last year, which is the lowest level in two years, according to the data of the Central Public Mobilizing and Statistics Agency, the slowdown in five months since inflation in inflation began in August in August, and on a monthly basis, the cities of the cities of 0.2% in December last year. Stability to Eid Al -Adha, the deputy head of the vegetable section of the Federation of Commerce Rooms, expected the ongoing decline in the prices of vegetables and the stability of others to the next Eid al -Aadha to support the occurrence of a surge in agricultural projects with the contribution of the private sector, which will have onion and the grunes. Garlic prices fell by 80%as the price currently scored 24 pounds, compared to 120 pounds in the last quarter of last year. A government official told Al -Sharq that the low prices of vegetables that currently caused a loss for farmers after planting large areas amid low demand for purchase, pointing out that the prices of these crops were exposed to a relative increase due to the increase in the question in the month of Ramadan. Potato farmers in Egypt suffered heavy losses during the past winter loop, as sales prices dropped significantly compared to the high production costs, as the price of potatoes from the ground achieved a drop to 5 thousand pounds compared to 15 thousand for the ton. The official said the current time is good to store basic commodities and utilize the low prices, especially as it coincides with the proximity of Ramadan’s month, and that prices will rise again, but it will not reach the levels they were in the last quarter of last year. Egypt’s agriculture exports grew by 11% annually during 2024, according to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture. The volume of exports reached 8.6 million tonnes, with approximately 2.4 million tonnes with al -Muwahil, and potatoes with about 977 thousand tons, while Egypt’s export of tomatoes occupied 52 thousand tons. Egypt hopes to double agricultural exports from 2026, with the support of increasing the cultivated areas, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Alaa Farouk, in an interview with ‘Al-Sharq’ last January, and under a previous document obtained by ‘Al Sharq’, the country raised the cultivated area to 11 million fields in the Fiscal year 2026. The Boers expanded in agriculture, captain of the farmers of Egypt, Hussein Abdel Rahman, who said that the low prices of vegetables came as a result of the farmers’ expansion of the cultivation of these crops in abundance to the crazy rise they were in the last quarter of prices at the end of last year. Abdul Rahman explained to Al -Sharq that the vegetable farmers were exposed to a great loss due to their expansion in the cultivation of vegetables with an increase in demand, especially as they quickly become damaged crops, such as tomatoes and potatoes, and explain that these vegetables are sold to the current loss. The AL -Falahi syndicate expected the price increase to return, especially with the entry of the month of Ramadan, in which the question exceeded the rest of the year, so that consumers had to use the low prices and store what they could buy during that period. Despite the low prices of vegetables in the Egyptian market, Lemon’s prices have recorded an increase of about 300% after the price has varied between 55 and 60 pounds per kilogram since the end of last year. Abdul Rahman justified the return of prices on the reluctance of the farmers to cultivate most of these vegetables in abundance, such as last season, which will lead to a lack of supply, especially as they are exposed to losses of up to 40 thousand pounds in the potatoes, as well as the loses in the tomato crop that are less sold than the cost of the culture. Egypt grows potatoes on 3 RAWs during the year, in an area of ​​600 thousand hectares, and produces 7 million tonnes, goes about 3 million tonnes to local consumption, while manufacturing consumes about two million tonnes, exports about one million tons, and 500 thousand tonnes are exploited as seeds, and there is a surplus of about 500 thousand tons. The Boers captain also said that the closure of the Rafah that crossed in recent months has led to the failure of large quantities to Gaza, and that he has contributed to the abundance of offer and the fall in prices, and after opening it, he will withdraw large quantities of supplies with these crops. Doaa Abdel -Baqi, the Egyptian woman responsible for raising and education of her children and spending them after the death of the husband, says: “We hope the prices continue to fall, so that we can live better amid the momentum of the requirements of daily life, especially with the chance of the emerging Ramadan season, as it does not want to rise.”