The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the world’s two largest wheat exporters, is threatening food security in many countries, especially in the Arab region. 

Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat, imports 50% of its wheat needs from Russia with between 10 million to 12 million tons of wheat brought annually from Russia. Meanwhile, Egypt imports 30% of its wheat needs from Ukraine. The Egyptian consumption of wheat is estimated at around 20 million tons annually, according to data from the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture. 

In a report published on March 12, the ministry said that Egypt is planning to increase the wheat-cultivated area across the country, which equalled 360 million feddans this year, with the aim to produce locally 10 million tons of wheat this year. 

In light of the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine and the ensuing hike of global wheat prices, the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry has banned for three months the export of some key staples as part of the government’s efforts to ensure food security and protect the local wheat reserves. The three-month ban came in two separate decisions issued on March 10 and 12.