Egyptian Government Praises Dakbal as "Good for Health"... What’s the Reason?

Severe Inflation Continues to Reduce Meat Consumption
Poultry Farm Owner: "Chicken Is Now a Luxury for the Wealthy"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] In Egypt, which has been suffering from severe inflation recently, the government is taking the lead in encouraging the consumption of chicken feet.

According to foreign media on the 9th, last month the National Nutrition Institute of Egypt praised chicken feet on social media (SNS), saying they are "Good for the body and the budget." Originally, chicken feet were not a part that Egyptians commonly enjoyed eating. However, as prices continue to soar day by day, ordinary people can no longer comfortably afford even chicken meat, leaving them in a situation where they have to reluctantly eat chicken feet.

Mohamed Waba, head of meat at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that "nationwide meat sales dropped by about 25% last month." Butchers in Cairo also say demand has been cut in half. Ahmed Kutb, who runs a poultry farm in central Cairo, lamented, "We are continuously running at a loss, so we might have to close the poultry farm soon," adding, "Chicken is now a luxury for the wealthy." He also added that "more and more people are buying cheaper meat even if the quality is lower."

The reaction of Egyptians to the chicken feet consumption campaign has been cold. Mahmoud Ibrahim (55), a high school physical education teacher, fiercely criticized the government over rising prices in an interview with WSJ. He said, "The government's telling people to eat chicken feet shows how much they have failed in crisis management," and cried out, "God help us. There is no dignified life in this country." To save money, Ibrahim takes a minibus to work instead of driving his own car. Recently, he bought 10 eggs, a block of white cheese, and 0.5 kg of chicken, hoping his family of four could eat for a whole week.

At last week's parliamentary session, lawmakers criticized the Egyptian government for raising prices too much on subsidized goods such as rice and cooking oil, demanding the resignation of the minister. The "chicken feet debate" continued in parliament, with lawmaker Karim Al Sadat saying, "Making people eat chicken feet is out of touch with reality."

In response, Ali Mosely, Minister of Supply, dismissed calls for further intervention in major food pricing, stating, "Authorities have already cracked down on merchants hoarding rice to sell on the black market." He reiterated, "We will never return to the socialist policies of the 1960s," indicating no intention to intervene in the market.

Last year, the Egyptian pound fell by 36.5% against the US dollar. As a result, the Egyptian pound became the third worst-performing currency in the world after the Sri Lankan rupee and the Argentine peso. Egypt's inflation reached nearly 19% in November last year, and economists expect prices to rise up to 25% by March.