The BBC reported on the 19th (local time) that Egypt, which is suffering from severe economic difficulties, faced strong headwinds after the government encouraged its citizens to consume chicken feet instead of chicken.
Egypt’s National Institute of Nutrition (NNI) promoted chicken feet and cow hooves as ‘protein-rich and budget-saving foods’ through Facebook last November.
Unlike Asian countries such as Korea, chicken feet in Egypt are used to make dog food rather than food. Even a man begging around a poultry market in Giza, a suburb of Cairo, said, “God, don’t let us end up eating chicken feet.”
The policy has sparked public outrage and criticism of the government, the BBC reported.
Egypt’s inflation rate exceeded 30 percent this month. Basic food ingredients such as cooking oil and cheese have long become unaffordable luxuries, and the price of some items has doubled or tripled in just a few months. In particular, there are complaints that meat cannot be found on the table due to the high price of meat.
Weddard, a mother of three who receives an annual pension of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (about 210,000 won), considered herself middle-class until a year ago, but now says that she is struggling to make ends meet. “I either eat meat once a month or don’t buy it at all,” he complained. “These days, an egg costs 5 Egyptian pounds (about 210 won).”
Weddard said, “I saved up even change to buy chicken,” adding, “One vendor sells chicken meat for 160 Egyptian pounds (about 6,780 won) per kilogram, and some people ask for up to 200 Egyptian pounds (about 8,480 won). On the other hand, chicken feet are only 20 Egyptian pounds (about 850 won).”
This situation has been attributed to the country’s high dependence on foreign food imports. Egypt, the world’s second-largest wheat importer, has been hit hard by a sharp decline in wheat supplies due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, a major wheat exporter.
In addition, the value of the Egyptian currency was cut in half last year due to the foreign exchange crisis in the aftermath of the war. The exchange rate, which was 15 Egyptian pounds per dollar as of January last year, fell to 32.1 Egyptian pounds per dollar in a year, breaking a record low.
In the aftermath of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) pandemic, tourism, which accounts for about 5% of Egypt’s gross domestic product (GDP), has also been hit hard.
Egypt has requested a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) four times over the past six years, and spends about half of its government revenue on debt service.
The BBC analyzed that in Egypt, economic difficulties led to riots in the past, leading to the collapse of the former regime of Mohamed Morsi.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.