A source of nutrients and anxiety: Egypt cuts back on longtime bread subsidies
After more than three decades, Egypt has increased the fixed price of subsidized bread from 0.05 Egyptian pounds ($0.0010) a loaf to 0.20 Egyptian pounds ($0.0042). With record levels of inflation already straining the Egyptian people — the majority of whom rely upon the discounted dietary staple — Cairo-based photojournalist Hamada Elrasam turns his lens on bakeries and their customers amid the 300% price hike. Captions by Elle Kurancid.
![Wafaa’s vulnerable family is permitted 15 subsidized loaves a day as per their ration card. “Fifty pieces are barely enough for us,” she says. “We need to buy the rest from [commercial bakeries] for 1.25 pounds each.” Cairo, Egypt, June 25, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0a00-0242-5188-08dc95e54437_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Wafaa’s vulnerable family is permitted 15 subsidized loaves a day as per their ration card. “Fifty pieces are barely enough for us,” she says. “We need to buy the rest from [commercial bakeries] for 1.25 pounds each.” Cairo, Egypt, June 25, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
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The meals of Farawla, Wafaa’s niece, hinge on Egypt’s bread subsidy program, which yields some 250 million loaves a day, making it a crucial food source for the more than 60% of the population who are poor or vulnerable. Cairo, Egypt, June 25, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)