Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Nazif this week described the country's soaring vegetable prices as a 'seasonal phenomenon' caused by the effect of poor weather conditions on crops, and that these were 'outside the government's control'.
Mr Nazif made the comments at the inauguration of international wholesale market chain Makro in the urban Qalyubia governorate, before expressing his confidence that prices would stabilise in coming months.
He added that the government was adopting policies and procedures designed to protect low-income families from the current bout of inflation.
He said that the government was seeking to boost internal trade as a means of reducing skyrocketing retail prices, by preventing 'exploitation and monopoly' and shortening the distance between producers and consumers.
