Food

Food accounts for the vast majority of household spending in Egypt. Especially for the rural poor, the main challenge is, however, to get access to affordable high quality products. Basic commodities are accessible, but the standard quality is poor and the goods are just as expensive, if not even more, than high quality products from the larger cities.

The table shows the average price for basic commodities bought in rural areas. All prices are similar or higher than equivalent products from urban areas, and in many instances, similar products of a higher quality can be bought 10-20 pct. cheaper in urban areas.

Demand

Studies have shown that there is a large untargeted food market in Egypt, especially for processed and packaged quality products.

Get your products out there!

• Huge demand for high quality, reasonable price food products
• Food products can be sold in rural areas at the same price as in urban areas

The perception that poor people pay less for basic products than others is a myth. Our studies have demonstrated that poor people in rural areas pay just as much, and in many cases more, for the same products as richer people from the cities.

There is a great demand for high quality food products at affordable prices. But almost no well known companies target the BOP with their quality products, and therefore there is inadequate access to food products of high quality.

If an effective distribution network is set up, which allows quality products to be sold in the rural areas at prices equivalent to those in the cities, there is a vast market, which to date is largely underserved.