Celebrations of the month of Ramadan in Egypt decline as the wave of high prices enters its second year in a row (Al Jazeera)

Cairo -

Celebrations of the month of Ramadan declined in Egypt as the wave of high prices entered its second year in a row, and prices rose to record levels.

Due to the three-fold increase in inflation rates two years ago and the hard currency shortage crisis.

There are many aspects of welcoming the month of Ramadan in Egypt, including celebrating it with decorations and lights and buying Ramadan supplies.

Such as: “Ramadan Yamish” and preparing the “Ramadan Carton” or “Ramadan Bag” and presenting it to the needy from poor families and daily workers, and preparing the tables of the Most Gracious to feed those who are fasting.

The “Ramadan Bag,” as in colloquial language, is a manifestation of social solidarity, and one of the aspects of charitable work that precedes the advent of the blessed month with the aim of helping the poor and well-off. It is in-kind, not financial, assistance for use in preparing breakfast meals.

The weight of the Ramadan bag varies according to the capabilities of the donors, and its components also vary between the main food items and the addition of some “Ramadan yams.”

Such as: dates and raisins, but in small quantities, and in all cases not less than about 5 kilograms.

Associations complain about a decline in donations

Zainab Mujahid, an official at the Ebad al-Rahman Association in the Akhmim center in Sohag Governorate (Upper Egypt), revealed “the suffering of the association and many associations in the governorate in preparing (cartons) for the month of Ramadan, due to the lack of donors, especially among the rich, businessmen, and representatives, and the high prices of food.”

Ramadan bag prices in Egypt doubled between 100% and 200% (Al Jazeera)

She added, "Due to the scarcity of Ramadan bags, we will include some cases within the Abwab Al Khair Restaurant program to get breakfast, instead of a carton."

Zainab Mujahid indicated, in statements to Al Jazeera Net, that the number of people in need this year is greater than any year before, and she said, “We buy the carton that contains some basic food items at a price of 300 pounds (the dollar is equal to about 50 pounds) instead of 159 pounds last year, and we buy them.” From large charities, especially government ones, at a price approximately 50% lower than the market.”

Zainab explained that the value and components of the bag had become less and that they had become "dissatisfied with its components, especially since in some years we used to put protein (meat or chicken), but now it is dry, and even the dates (dates) are not of the excellent type that we used to put every year."

How to change the shape and weight of the Ramadan bag?

Muhammad Abu Kamal, a supervisor at one of the commercial chains in Giza Governorate, says, “The rise in prices forced some people to abandon this habit, after the prices of Ramadan bags doubled between 100% and 200%, while it forced some people to reduce their components and size.”

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the supervisor explained that the store did not offer this year the large number of Ramadan cartons that it used to offer every time, and took care to make their components less weight while maintaining diversity so that they would be accessible to those wishing to do good.

Ramadan carton is one of the manifestations of social solidarity in Egypt (Al Jazeera)

Regarding the components of the carton, Abu Kamal talked about rice, oil, sugar, sauce, artificial marinade, beans, pasta, and tea, in addition to dried dates and sometimes a bag of dates. In the past, Qamar al-Din roll, tamarind, coconut, raisins, and hibiscus were among the components of the bag.

Government attempts and deteriorating economic conditions

According to the Income and Expenditure Survey issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics, for the year 2019/2020, the poverty rate in Egypt was 29.7%, meaning more than 30 million poor people.

This percentage was recorded before the Corona crisis and before the devaluation of the pound 4 times since 2022, a situation that has brought many Egyptian families into the cycle of poverty.

In an attempt to reduce the impact of rising prices, the Egyptian government increased the “Welcome Ramadan” exhibitions and the “We Are All One” initiative to 3,000 outlets and chains nationwide, and the discount rates on goods ranged between 10% and 30%.

According to the government, the outlets and chains include major producers of food and Ramadan goods, in addition to the Holding Company for Food Industries at the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade and its subsidiaries, with spaces allocated to the National Service Agency at the Ministry of Defense and “Aman” at the Ministry of Interior.

Habits do not disappear, but they are negatively affected

The head of the Citizens Against High Prices Association, Mahmoud Al-Asqalani, says, “Despite the negative impact of high prices on the phenomenon of collecting and distributing Ramadan cartons and bags in Egypt, it does not disappear or disappear. It is in the nature of Egyptians that they are keen on customs and occasions even if economic conditions deteriorate.”

Government initiatives aim to reduce the high prices of Ramadan materials (Al Jazeera)

The interesting thing is, Mahmoud Al-Asqalani adds to Al-Jazeera Net, the disappearance of a bag of sugar, one of the main components of the Ramadan carton for some people, against the backdrop of the crisis of shortage of this basic substance, and he says, “I personally look for any quantities of sugar and put them in the carton in order to distribute them to those in need.”

Regarding the impact of prices, Al-Asqalani explained that the carton has undoubtedly lost part of its value and components, indicating that those most affected are the poor and daily workers in population centers, companies, factories, real estate, and others.

Al-Asqalani believed that the difficult economic conditions that millions of Egyptians are going through should be a motivation and incentive for the rich, in order to increase donations and contributions regarding the preparation and distribution of Ramadan bags.

To enhance the atmosphere of solidarity among people.

Source: Al Jazeera