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Egyptian authorities are starting to sell bread at a discount to people who are not included in the subsidy program, Reuters reported, citing Food Minister Ali Moseley.

People will be able to buy 90g loaves using special pre-paid "debit cards", he explains.

The price is yet to be specified, but it will be under 1 Egyptian pound ($0.03).

The trial period for the program begins on Wednesday.

The Egyptian authorities already provide subsidized bread to over 70 million of the country's 104 million inhabitants.

The new decision will increase the volume of bread sold by the authorities by 10 percent, Moseley said.

The war in Ukraine has hit Egypt, which is heavily dependent on food imports, hard and has led to a collapse of the lira, a rise in inflation and an inability to clear goods from ports.

The IMF even provided the country with $3 billion in aid to alleviate the situation, BTA reported.

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Private importers and millers have been unable to pay for the delivered grain waiting at the ports for the last few months, and this has dramatically raised the price of bread and flour.

In an attempt to alleviate the situation, the state grain buyer began selling flour and grain to them through a newly established commodity exchange.

Egypt

bread

inflation