The meeting was attended by Engineer Moustafa El-Sayyad, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and Engineer Mahmoud El-Anany, Chairman of the Poultry Union, alongside several board members.
Minister Alaa Farouk emphasized that the poultry sector is a
vital pillar of Egypt’s food security. He stated that the primary objective of
the meeting was to protect competitive freedom and stabilize the markets for poultry
and table eggs.
"Our goal is to achieve a strategic balance," Minister
Farouk said. "We must protect the producer’s ability to continue
operations while ensuring the consumer’s right to high-quality products at fair
and accessible prices."
Dr. Mahmoud Momtaz, Chairman of the ECA, underscored the
authority’s commitment to monitoring all levels of the supply chain in this
critical sector. He warned that the ECA will not tolerate any monopolistic
practices or horizontal/vertical agreements that could artificially inflate
final consumer prices.
"The law is designed to protect free competition, which
ultimately serves the best interests of both the consumer and the national
economy," Dr. Momtaz added.
The meeting reviewed government efforts to secure poultry
feed and production inputs to ensure farm sustainability. Key discussion points
included monitoring markets to bridge the gap between farm-gate prices and
final retail prices, providing facilities to producers to increase production
capacity and meet local demand, and increasing supply to fulfill the surge in
consumption during the upcoming festive season.
Representatives of the Poultry Union expressed their
appreciation for the government’s support. They reaffirmed their commitment to
fair competition, noting that prices should be determined individually by
producers based on market dynamics, supply and demand, rather than through
collusion.
The Union pledged to maximize supply in the coming weeks to ensure that citizens' needs are met during Ramadan at competitive price points.