The president noted that IMF’s agreement to provide the loan shows that Egypt has the ability to pay it back. He added that its effect would not be tangible if the government did not reduce the rate of price increases or raise support pension amounts. The safety net, while available, is not effective due to the rising prices, he stated. It is hard to believe that the government can control the prices by monitoring the markets, El-Shenety said. El-Shenety believes that providing food subsidies solely through commissary outlets would make them harder to obtain for the poor, adding that in order to make it easier, the government must find a way to distribute food subsidies through more outlets.

Source: Daily News Egypt October 15, 2016 16:41 UTC