VOA presented a video on the food prices increase particularly in the Middle East. However, Muslims break their fast this Ramadan, they’re probably paying more for it than last year. Some of the reasons are the same everywhere. Shockwaves from the war in Ukraine, for one. But in economics, there’s rarely just one reason for anything. Here’s what’s raising the cost of five iftar dishes in five countries.
Kibrom Abay, a research fellow was interviewed and said, “Egypt used to import a lot of corn from Ukraine and now farmers are witnessing a significant increase in animal feed and corn. Because of that, there is obviously a much higher increase in meat and poultry products, which are the main dishes of iftar.” (See also, IFPRI blog post, The Russia-Ukraine crisis poses a serious food security threat for Egypt). This video can also be found on YouTube.