Middle East & Africa | A tale of two scarcities

From tea to cars, Egypt and Tunisia struggle to pay for imports

Both countries are burdened with huge debts and are in talks with the IMF

CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 8: A man buys subsided Egyptian traditional 'Baladi' bread using the smart-card bread subsidy system from a governmental bread stand in Sayeda Zeinab Neighborhood on May 8, 2022 in Cairo, Egypt. Last month, Egypt introduced price controls on commercially sold bread in response to the rising price of wheat. Egypt imports 80% of its wheat supply from Russia and Ukraine, whose production and export have been disrupted by the invasion. (Photo by Roger Anis/Getty Images)

Sep 15th 2022|DUBAI

The signs that limit customers to one bag of flour or two litres of milk are sometimes unnecessary, because there is nothing to buy. Supermarket shelves in Tunisia have been stripped bare in recent weeks. Cooking oil, coffee, sugar and butter are all hard to find, especially outside the capital. Some supermarkets even ration bottled water. Shoppers at malls in Cairo had a similar experience all summer: stocks of consumer goods, from clothing to furniture, are running low.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A tale of two scarcities”