Egypt
will import 170,000 cattle in preparation for the Islamic holiday Eid Al-Adha,
announced the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in a statement on
Monday.
Of the 150,000 calves, 45,000 will be slaughtered immediately, while the remaining 105,000 will be fattened.
The imports accord with the state's plan to increase its strategic meat stock via contracting multiple alternatives, including new international markets, Agriculture Minister Al-Said Al-Qusair affirmed.
Egypt aims to provide sufficient meat at reasonable prices in time for Eid Al-Adha, the minister continued.
Furthermore, Al-Qusair stressed that the government was interested in releasing more fodder for cattle and poultry to lower their prices in the market. Local meat prices have been rising steadily amid the global food crisis.
Meat prices in Egypt have been recently soaring, with some attributing the increase to low supplies of fodder and the high cost of importing it.
The low supply of imported fodder has caused the increase in meat prices, the Head of the Butchers Division at Cairo Chamber of Commerce Mohamed Wahba announced earlier this month.
Source: Ahram Online
