North African households rush to stock up up on flour, semolina and other basic products as food prizes rise following Russia invasion of Ukraine, both key wheat exporters to region.
The stampede is worse to come just weeks before start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims traditionally break dawn until dusk fast with sumptuous family meal.
Tunisia, Morocco and Libya, as well as with several other Arab countriesimport a lot of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia.
Some fear Russian invasion could lead for hunger and troubles, with memories of how rising food prices have played a role in several Arab uprisings last decade.
In one supermarket in the Tunisian capital, the shelves were bare of flour or semolina, and only three packets of sitting sugar on a shelf near a sign which said: “One kilo per customer, please.”
Store managers said that problem was “panic buying”, not shortages.
Client Houda Hjeij, who said she couldn’t find rice or flour for two weeks, authorities charged. “With the war in Ukraine, they did not think about the future”, the 52-year- old housewife in Tunis said.
Bulk purchase in advance of Ramadan, which should start in beginning of april this yearest common in Muslim countries.
But some say war in Ukraine sparked a shopping spree frenzy.
Fear of war
Hedi Baccour, of Tunisia union of supermarket owners, reported daily sales of semolina – a staple across North Africa used in washing up of couscous – jumped 700% in The last days.
Sugar sales are up triple as Tunisians stockpile basic foodstuffs, says Baccour, who insisted that there was no food shortage.
Every day, retired Hedi Bouallegue, 66, does the round of grocery store shops in son district of Tunis to store up on some products like cooking oil and semolina.
“I am even ready to pay double the price”, he told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Baker Slim Talbi said he paid three times so much for flour that in the past”Although the real effects of the war (Russia-Ukraine) did not hit us again.”
“I’m worried” about the future Talbi added invoking Tunisia’s dependence on Ukrainian wheat.
Tunisia imports almost half of soft wheat used to make bread from Ukraine. Authorities say the North African country has enough supplies to last three months.
Oil-rich Libya gets about 75% of son wheat from Russia and Ukraine. Morocco also strongly presses on the same source for Provisions.
Algeria – Africa second-most grand wheat consumer after Egypt – does not import wheat from the two warring Eastern European countries countries, instead source from Argentina or France, depending on the bureau of cereals.
“There won’t be a shortage – regular shipments of wheat arrive at the port of Algiers”, says the port official Mustafa, who declined for give his full Name.
Despite assurances, panicked citizens recently ransacked semolina stocks in Algerian Eastern Kabylia region.
“War in Ukraine and all the semolina warehouses have been stormed”, Mouh Benameur, who Lives in the area, posted on Facebook.
Recession, pandemic, recovery
Food prices were on the rise in North Africa before Russia invaded Ukraine more than two weeks ago.
Moroccan official Fouzi Lekjaa pointed a global economic pick-up following a crisis caused by a pandemic.
“With the recovery market price of cereals and petroleum products increased,” he said.
Mourad, 37, buyer in the Moroccan capital Rabat, said climate change and drought – the worst in son country in decades – were also to reproach.
To keep prices affordable and avoid a repetition of bread riots that broke out in 1980s, Tunisia subsidizes basic necessities like sugar, semolina and pasta.
For the past decade he has set the price of a baguette of bread to six US pennies.
Algeria plans remove subsidies on basic goods, but has not yet done so.
After a truck driversstrike this week, Morocco said it was considering fuel subsidies for the sector “to protect the purchases of citizens power and keep prices at a reasonable level”, according to government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas.
In Libya, which found himself with two rivals prime ministers this month, raising fears of renewed violence, food prices are also hit the roof.
At a wholesaler in Tripoli market, buyer Saleh Mosbah blamed “unscrupulous merchants”.
“They always have want benefit in case of conflict,” he said.
Summaya, a client in his 30th birthday who declined for give son full name, blamed the government.
“They reassure people saying there is enough wheat,” she said, carrying two five-kilo (11-pound) bags of plain flour. “I don’t believe them.”
North African households rush to stock up up on flour, semolina and other basic products as food prizes rise following Russia invasion of Ukraine, both key wheat exporters to region.
The stampede is worse to come just weeks before start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims traditionally break dawn until dusk fast with sumptuous family meal.
Tunisia, Morocco and Libya, as well as with several other Arab countriesimport a lot of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia.
Some fear Russian invasion could lead for hunger and troubles, with memories of how rising food prices have played a role in several Arab uprisings last decade.
In one supermarket in the Tunisian capital, the shelves were bare of flour or semolina, and only three packets of sitting sugar on a shelf near a sign which said: “One kilo per customer, please.”
Store managers said that problem was “panic buying”, not shortages.
Client Houda Hjeij, who said she couldn’t find rice or flour for two weeks, authorities charged. “With the war in Ukraine, they did not think about the future”, the 52-year- old housewife in Tunis said.
Bulk purchase in advance of Ramadan, which should start in beginning of april this yearest common in Muslim countries.
But some say war in Ukraine sparked a shopping spree frenzy.
Fear of war
Hedi Baccour, of Tunisia union of supermarket owners, reported daily sales of semolina – a staple across North Africa used in washing up of couscous – jumped 700% in The last days.
Sugar sales are up triple as Tunisians stockpile basic foodstuffs, says Baccour, who insisted that there was no food shortage.
Every day, retired Hedi Bouallegue, 66, does the round of grocery store shops in son district of Tunis to store up on some products like cooking oil and semolina.
“I am even ready to pay double the price”, he told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Baker Slim Talbi said he paid three times so much for flour that in the past”Although the real effects of the war (Russia-Ukraine) did not hit us again.”
“I’m worried” about the future Talbi added invoking Tunisia’s dependence on Ukrainian wheat.
Tunisia imports almost half of soft wheat used to make bread from Ukraine. Authorities say the North African country has enough supplies to last three months.
Oil-rich Libya gets about 75% of son wheat from Russia and Ukraine. Morocco also strongly presses on the same source for Provisions.
Algeria – Africa second-most grand wheat consumer after Egypt – does not import wheat from the two warring Eastern European countries countries, instead source from Argentina or France, depending on the bureau of cereals.
“There won’t be a shortage – regular shipments of wheat arrive at the port of Algiers”, says the port official Mustafa, who declined for give his full Name.
Despite assurances, panicked citizens recently ransacked semolina stocks in Algerian Eastern Kabylia region.
“War in Ukraine and all the semolina warehouses have been stormed”, Mouh Benameur, who Lives in the area, posted on Facebook.
Recession, pandemic, recovery
Food prices were on the rise in North Africa before Russia invaded Ukraine more than two weeks ago.
Moroccan official Fouzi Lekjaa pointed a global economic pick-up following a crisis caused by a pandemic.
“With the recovery market price of cereals and petroleum products increased,” he said.
Mourad, 37, buyer in the Moroccan capital Rabat, said climate change and drought – the worst in son country in decades – were also to reproach.
To keep prices affordable and avoid a repetition of bread riots that broke out in 1980s, Tunisia subsidizes basic necessities like sugar, semolina and pasta.
For the past decade he has set the price of a baguette of bread to six US pennies.
Algeria plans remove subsidies on basic goods, but has not yet done so.
After a truck driversstrike this week, Morocco said it was considering fuel subsidies for the sector “to protect the purchases of citizens power and keep prices at a reasonable level”, according to government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas.
In Libya, which found himself with two rivals prime ministers this month, raising fears of renewed violence, food prices are also hit the roof.
At a wholesaler in Tripoli market, buyer Saleh Mosbah blamed “unscrupulous merchants”.
“They always have want benefit in case of conflict,” he said.
Summaya, a client in his 30th birthday who declined for give son full name, blamed the government.
“They reassure people saying there is enough wheat,” she said, carrying two five-kilo (11-pound) bags of plain flour. “I don’t believe them.”