Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said that the price of a subsidised bread loaf cannot continue at 5 piastres any more in light of the state’s move to develop the entire Egyptian countryside through ‘the Decent Life’ initiative and the plan to improve school meals.
President Sisi’s remarks came during the inauguration ceremony of Silo Foods, the mega food industries complex in Sadat city, a district of Menufia governorate on Tuesday.
“The price of the subsidised bread loaves has been fixed for 20 or 30 years. This situation cannot continue.”
“No one should tell me not to touch the issue of the price of bread loaves. I will,” the president said.
“Not the prime minister, not the supply minister – I will take responsibility for changing this situation,” President Sisi said.
“We are responsible for the livelihoods and the destiny of all our people not just ourselves,” the president stressed. We are in a country that respects its citizens and protects their interests before God Almighty. Therefore, we should never sell the bread loaf with a currency that is not recognisable by our children.”
“When we talk about raising the price of the bread loaf they say ‘please let us live’…no, we want our country to live, we need to make our lives well organised, to create a good product for the people and to organise our lives in a balanced way,” the president said.
He said the government needs to procure LE7.7 billion to provide school meals to children.
“I cannot provide 20 loaves of bread at a cost of one cigarette,” President Sisi said, “while the 8 billion Egyptian pounds per year needed for meals for our school kids are not available.”
“Nothing stays the same for 20 or 30 years. When the state pays LE7 to subsidise a school meal, it means that for every family that has a child or two the state will have to pay around LE15,” the president said.
The president asked the government to provide LE8 billion for the school meal, adding that the government cannot do this alone particularly that the state is implementing the Decent Life initiative to change the entire countryside.
“It is a balanced giving by both the government and the people. We are working and the people should contribute as well. I am not saying that the price of the bread loaf will skyrocket, but the extra sum will be added to the budget of the school meals.”
Meanwhile, President Sisi said that there are 8 million children, who suffer from “anemia”, which means they do not follow a good healthy diet.
Speaking about violations on agricultural land, President Sisi said the problem has to do with population growth, increasing the demand on houses.
He stressed that the regulation of procreation in Egypt has an effect on many issues and represents a challenge in many files as well.
“The issue of population growth is very dangerous, from 2011 to today, population increased by nearly 20 million people, so the prices are increasing. Shall we continue with this population growth?” the president wondered.
He said that people should ask themselves if there is a marked increase in agricultural lands to meet the needs of the 20 million people added to the population. This is an important question, which must be highlighted as it has to do with the future of Egypt and the coming generations, he added.
President Sisi also said the increasing rates in population growth will devour the fruits of any achievements.
Sisi pointed out to the role of the family, in addition to the government as far as the overpopulation issue is concerned.
Sisi said he is talking about this matter in order to alert people to the dangers it is posing to the nation.
‘Silo Foods’, the mega food industries complex, in Menoufia governorate, will provide schools meals for around 13 million students nationwide, according to official estimates.
President Sisi urged Egyptians to follow a healthy diet for the sake of their children’s health.
Children who enjoy sports and exercise tend to stay active throughout their lives, Sisi said commenting on Minister of Education Tarek Shawki’s address during the inauguration of Silo Foods city in Sadat.
The president warned against dangers of obesity on children, given the fact that four million children suffer from it nationwide.
He confirmed citizens should always measure the weight of their children and follow up their diet.
Sisi said workers of factories have to take into account their weight.
“Talking about this matter is not embarrassing, but it must become a culture in the society,” added Sisi.
Shifting to the problem of overpopulation, Sisi wondered “Are we in need of more children or a number that we can take care of?”
“Or in other words, are we in need of a large number of children living in difficult conditions or a suitable number that enjoys a high quality of life?” the president wondered.
Sisi called for launching an initiative to follow up pre-pregnancy needs of young ladies, such as food supplements, and health and nutrition programmes.
The president thanked the National Service Projects Organisation (NSPO) and the Armed Forces for their good preparation for Silo Foods, hoping it would be completed soon with the establishment of a factory of dairy products in April.
During the inauguration ceremony, President Sisi watched a documentary titled “Tomorrow will be better” about the achievements in the fields of agriculture, industry, internal trade, foreign affairs, livestock, construction and building. The documentary was made by the Armed Forces Morale Affairs Department.
The documentary made it clear that such advanced industries in the food industries city, Silo Foods, have been accomplished in a record time.
