Supply Ministry denies lowering subsidized bread allocations: The Supply Ministry has denied it will lower daily subsidized bread allocations, stressing that it is still studying the issue, Ahram Gate reports. The ministry had issued a report indicating that smart card holders consume an average of 2.5-3.8 loaves of bread out of their daily ration of five loaves. The ministry used that to suggest cutting the daily ration to four loaves in exchange for doubling the number of subsidy points card holders receive for every loaf of bread they do not buy from their rations to EGP 0.20, from EGP 0.10. The points on the card are then tallied and allow the cardholder to buy other commodities using the accumulated balance. Al Shorouk has more on the controversy, which has the head of the grocers’ union cheering the Supply Ministry’s trial balloon and the head of the bakers’ union booing it — a shocking breakdown of interests, we know.

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