Nuts and dried fruit off the menu for Egyptians in Ramadan as prices of some varieties double
Nuts and dried fruit, both popular on most Egyptian iftar tables during Ramadan, have become too expensive for millions in the country after a record rise in food prices.
Even the middle classes are cutting down this year.
“Nuts and dried fruit have always been a luxury food for Egyptians,” Reda Mahmoud, the owner of a Cairo roastery, told The National.
“They’re not something that most people eat on a regular basis. But even so, last Ramadan
I had a lot more customers than this year.
“Even my more middle-class customers are buying half or quarter kilos of items they used to take kilos of last year.”
Since last Ramadan, the price of every nut in Mr Mahmoud’s store has doubled, he says. Dried fruit has had a similar increase.
Egypt relies on imports as most varieties are not grown locally. Its import bill for nuts and dried fruit amounted to $50 million in 2021, state statistics agency Capmas said.
A shortage of US dollars from Egypt’s markets, brought on by the global rise in food and energy prices since the war in Ukraine and three devaluations of the pound last year, have driven up import costs.
Walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, prunes and figs are all imported.
Raisins, peanuts and qamaruldin – apricot fruit leather – are grown locally, which has kept their prices lower.
“Nut prices are tied to the dollar because our soil is not hospitable to growing most kinds here, so we have to import it,” Mr Mahmoud said.
“Import costs went up dramatically this year because of the rise in the dollar’s value.
And suppliers were having a hard time even securing dollars outside the black market, which increased prices even further.”
Despite a drop in his Ramadan sales, about 20 per cent on last year, his profit is the same.
“Even though people are buying less than they used to, nuts have increased in price so much that I am breaking even,” Mr Mahmoud said.
“Also, you have to bear in mind that even now there is still a segment of Egyptian society which isn’t really that bothered about inflation and fortunately they’re my biggest customers.” His top sellers this year were shredded
coconut, raisins and peanuts.
Nuts and dried fruit are used abundantly in Ramadan desserts such as kunafa, qatayef, baklava and basbousa.
Depending on quality, a kilogram of pistachios today costs between 500 and 800 Egyptian pounds ($16 and $25) compared
to 300 pounds last year. The price of walnuts has risen to 500 pounds from 300 pounds.
Almonds, hazelnuts and cashews are prohibitively expensive. But raisins, shredded coconut and peanuts, at 70 pounds, 80 pounds and 140 pounds, respectively, are still affordable.