Egypt exempts 12 basic food items from customs duties for 6 months

The list of 12 commodities includes chicken, ducks, geese, turkeys, milk, butter, cheese, tea, fats, greases, sugar, and pasta.

The decree also applies to any fodder or pharmaceutical preparation components of the above-mentioned items.  

In a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the government would reduce the prices of seven basic commodities by 15 to 25 percent as of next Saturday.

These commodities include beans, dairy products, white cheese, mixed oil, pasta, sugar, lentils, poultry products, eggs, and rice.

Last week, the government coordinated with the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to secure the US dollar required to procure goods and to find solutions to lower the prices of basic goods.

Egypt’s annual headline inflation decelerated in September to 38 percent, down from 39.7 percent in August, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).