Rampant food inflation and a debased currency cause for concern for Egyptians this Ramadan

Photo: People cover themselves from sun, as they wait to buy subsidised food contributed by the Ministry of Defence and Military Production of the Egyptian Armed Forces in Cairo, Egypt May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Ramadan is a time of restraint and spiritual contemplation, the daily iftar a joyous moment as Muslims the world over break their fast together. But for Egyptians the holy month this year comes as the country roils from rampant food inflation and a debased currency that could make Ramadan all the tougher.

Today, food costs 40 percent more than it did a year ago after local manufacturers, which source most of their ingredients abroad, raised prices following a collapse in the value of the Egyptian pound.

“Restaurants, gas, transport, everything just doubled in a matter of a couple of months and everyone is struggling – whether people are very rich or people are very poor. 100 [Egyptian] pounds used to get me two chickens; now 100 pounds can get me just one,” said May, 30, a pharmacist from Alexandria who declined to reveal her full name.