As the Russian war on Ukraine rages on, Egypt has bought 3.5 million tons of wheat from local farmers since the start of the current fiscal year that began in July.

In a statement to Al-Monitor, Egyptian Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi said that the local wheat purchase season ended with the purchase of a total amount of 3.5 million tons from farmers who were not affected to a large extent by the coronavirus pandemic, noting that Egypt’s strategic wheat reserves cover about 6.3 months.

The Russian-Ukrainian war that has been ongoing since February has largely disrupted global wheat supplies and raised global prices to record levels. Egypt was particularly affected, as it is the world’s largest importer of wheat — most of which came from Russia and Ukraine.

In April, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi demanded that the authorities boost the country’s strategic reserves amid concerns about global supplies due to the coronavirus pandemic and Russian-Ukrainian war, prompting the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), Egypt’s state grain buyer, to dip into the global market for wheat while the local harvest was ongoing.