Egypt Delays Onion Export Ban to October

Egypt postpones onion export ban to the 1st of October in consideration of  previously arranged export agreements, announced Egypt’s Ministry of Trade and Industry on 24 September.

The Egyptian Cabinet had previously announced a three-month ban on onion exports on 20 September to face rising prices in local markets.

Onion prices have hiked to EGP 35 per kilogram in some local markets, a significant increase from EGP 27 the previous month and EGP 12 a year ago.

Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) recently attributed volatile food prices to the country’s record-breaking annual headline inflation rate of 39.7 percent in August.

Egypt harvests over three million tons of onions annually and exports a massive portion of that production.Egyptians consume around 15 kilograms of onions per year. Onions have been a primary affordable ingredient in Egyptian cuisine  for decades.