How Russia-Ukraine war could devastate Egypt, the world’s biggest wheat importer

As the world's largest importer of wheat, Egypt expects to be severely affected by possible disruptions to wheat supplies following Russia's attack on Ukraine.

The most populous Arab country - home to 102 million - imported 12.5m tonnes of wheat in 2020-21, with almost 85 percent of it coming from Russia and Ukraine.

"Egypt will be deeply affected in case the war erupts between Russia and Ukraine," Hesham Abuldahab, a member of the grains section at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, told Middle East Eye before the invasion. "Most of our wheat imports come from these two countries."

Once one of the world's great breadbaskets, Egypt has lost most of its farmland over the decades to urban sprawl, as its population continues to grow.

National wheat output amounted to nine million tonnes last year. But this output covers less than 50 percent of local consumption.

Most of the wheat is used in the production of bread for Egyptians. Most of that is then distributed within the nation’s food rationing system, in which the vast majority of the country is enrolled.