Heavy rains and severe weather battered multiple Egyptian governorates on Wednesday, driven by a polar low-pressure system, raising concerns over crop damage and a fresh wave of food price increases.
The unstable conditions, including thunderstorms and strong winds, are expected to continue through Thursday. The sudden shift has heightened anxiety among farmers and traders, exposing the fragility of agricultural production as extreme weather events become more frequent.
A source familiar with the Agriculture Ministry’s production file told Al Manassa that preliminary estimates indicate crop losses have not exceeded 5% so far, attributing the limited damage to “precautionary measures and prior coordination with meteorological authorities, extension services, and farmers.”
However, market representatives warned that the impact is likely to ripple through to consumers. The weather fluctuations will inevitably reduce vegetable output, tightening supply and pushing prices higher in the coming period, Hatem Al-Naguib, spokesperson for the Vegetables Division at the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce explained to Al Manassa.
Al-Naguib said crops grown in greenhouses are expected to suffer less damage than those exposed in open fields. He added that the extent of losses depends heavily on farmers’ compliance with Agriculture Ministry guidelines for handling weather disruptions, which vary depending on the crop.
Even with precautionary measures, he said, some level of crop loss is unavoidable.
For wheat—a strategic staple in Egypt’s food system—the impact varies by governorate depending on rainfall levels, said Mohamed Fahim, adviser to the agriculture minister and head of the Climate Change Information Center. He noted that around 3.6 million feddans have been cultivated this season.
Fahim said agricultural extension teams are working around the clock to monitor crop conditions and guide farmers on preventive steps, including the rapid drainage of accumulated rainwater by maintaining canals and drainage networks to protect crops from waterlogging.
A separate Agriculture Ministry source, who requested anonymity, confirmed that limited losses have been recorded in crops such as potatoes, garlic, and seasonal vegetables in some governorates due to strong winds and sudden rainfall.
