{"id":17526,"date":"2025-06-05T12:16:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T10:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=17526"},"modified":"2026-10-24T15:05:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:05:34","slug":"egypt-eid-al-adha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/egypt-eid-al-adha\/","title":{"rendered":"Eid al-Adha in Egypt: Fewer Sacrifices, Changing Traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time in more than 30 years, the family of Hajj Ibrahim Hammam was unable to buy a sacrificial animal this year; it could not afford the price of the calf (the sacrifice), which averaged between EGP 80,000 and EGP 100,000. For the first time in Egypt’s history, the price of the sacrifice has reached this level, and with the continuing economic pressures and expenses multiplying dozens of times over the past years, we are no longer able to afford the price of the sacrifice as we used to every year. I feel sad and I hope God will forgive us for something that is not in our hands. We set aside a sum to buy a few kilos of meat and distribute them to people,” Hajj Ibrahim tells Zawia3.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few metres from Hajj Ibrahim’s home, in the Girga district of Sohag Governorate, sits Fatma Aziz, a mother of four orphans, who used to depend entirely on the sacrificial meat offered to her every year, since she is unable to buy meat for most months of the year. Fatma says, speaking to us: “My husband died years ago and left 4 children, the eldest of whom is in the third year of preparatory school. We do not receive a government pension because my husband did not work for the government; he was a farm labourer. But a few years ago we obtained a pension from the Takaful and Karama programme; at first it was EGP 400, and then it became EGP 560 several months ago.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Fatma goes on sadly: “Of course, you know what prices are like. What we receive is not enough to buy a single kilo of meat and some vegetables for cooking, so we are deprived of buying meat, and we depend on charitable people, whether for the monthly aid that helps us provide part of our basic needs or for providing some foodstuffs for the children. She adds: “I learned that some people, like Hajj Ibrahim, will not buy sacrificial animals this year. Of course I was saddened, because I and others had a share of them, but there is nothing we can do. We pray to God for relief, and that is all I can say”. <\/span><\/p>\n

Egyptians are facing increasing economic pressures, which observers who spoke to us attribute to three main factors: rising headline inflation, the decline in the value of the Egyptian pound, and the effect of higher import costs on feed prices. Meanwhile, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics announced, in its latest report<\/a>, issued last May, that the annual inflation rate for Egypt as a whole rose to 13.5% in April 2025, compared with 13.1% in March of the same year. At the same time, the value of the Egyptian pound fell markedly, as the exchange rate<\/a> reached EGP 50 to the dollar in June 2025, compared<\/a> with EGP 24.21 in 2022. These conditions led to higher import costs, including feed and livestock, which increased the prices of sacrificial animals.<\/p>\n

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Recommended reading:<\/b> Between Rising Fertiliser and Seed Prices: Why Are Farmers Leaving the Land in Silence?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n


\nWhy Have the Prices of Sacrificial Animals Risen?<\/b><\/h1>\n

Feed is one of the most important inputs of livestock rearing, and it has risen sharply since last year, and<\/span> reports<\/span><\/a> point to a rise in the prices of yellow maize (the main raw material for feed) of about 12% compared with 2024, reaching about EGP 13,700 per tonne, while imported soybeans rose 85% to about EGP 50,000 per tonne. These increases in the cost of feed in turn reflect the rise in production costs. In this context, the head of the Butchers’ Division, Haitham Abdel Basset, pointed out in press<\/span> statements<\/span><\/a> that this year’s increases “were affected by diesel prices and the increased cost of feed”. Farmers also incurred notable additional costs, which pushed them to raise the prices of animals to make up the difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, the total number of live cattle in Egypt<\/span> fell<\/span><\/a> from about 8.3 million head in 2022 to about 7.6 million in 2023 (a drop of about 8.4%). According to statements by the Minister of Agriculture, Egypt’s needs for red meat<\/span> amount<\/span><\/a> to about one million tonnes a year, of which local production covers only about 600,000 tonnes, while the shortfall is imported. This points to the tightness of local supply and the length of customs procedures for importing food, which affected prices. In addition, problems in transporting animals from farms to markets (for example, a shortage of refrigerated trucks or delays in customs clearance) disrupted the supply of livestock before the Eid, which increased the pressure on prices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Comparing<\/span> data<\/span><\/a> from the Ministry of Agriculture for 2024, which provides a number of sacrificial animals to citizens through a pre-booking system, prices have increased by between 5% and 20% compared with the previous year. Meat prices in Egyptian markets recorded a notable jump in recent days compared with last year’s Eid al-Adha season, as the average price per kilo in major retail shops and the areas of Greater Cairo reached about EGP 400 to 600 per kilo, while the kilo recorded about EGP 380 to 420 in the governorates, after ranging between EGP 350 and EGP 400 in 2024, according to field testimonies from citizens and traders. Likewise, the prices of meat offered at subsidised outlets and at the outlets of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Agriculture<\/span> rose<\/span><\/a>, reaching EGP 280 to 300 per kilo this year, compared with only EGP 200 to 220 during the same period last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

For her part, Mervana Maher, a writer and researcher in economics, believes that the current economic crisis has cast its heavy shadow over Egyptian society, and its impact has become especially clear during the Eid al-Adha season. She says, in a statement to Zawia3, that the rise in the prices of sacrificial animals in recent years has pushed many families to reduce the size or type of their sacrifice or to stop it altogether, preferring to direct this money to charities. Even deep-rooted social customs, such as distributing sacrificial meat to relatives and friends, have declined markedly, reflecting a change in social behaviour under the weight of economic pressures.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mervana explains that the crisis has radically reshaped Egyptians’ purchasing behaviour. She adds: “Of course, families cannot stop meeting basic needs such as food and drink, but there is a clear reduction in the consumption of some products. Many are now turning to local products as an alternative to imported ones, cutting out luxuries and redirecting spending towards priorities. In addition, reliance on buying in instalments has increased as a means of easing financial pressure, which reflects a restructuring of household budgets to fit the new economic reality, noting that charities have also become a refuge for many, whether to donate or to obtain aid.<\/span><\/p>\n

The writer and economic researcher believes that this economic gap will continue in the coming period, especially with the government announcing expected increases in the prices of services such as household gas and electricity, along with plans to restructure subsidies. She expects these changes to push families to re-evaluate their expenses carefully, especially given limited incomes that do not keep pace with rising prices. This situation requires new strategies for managing household resources to ensure financial sustainability amid these challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

Women Breadwinners: Double Suffering and Lost Joy<\/b><\/h1>\n

Data from the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development indicate that the<\/span> rate<\/span><\/a> of poverty in Egypt reached 29.7% in 2020, with a target of reducing it to 27.9% by 2025. These figures show that about a third of the population lives below the poverty line, reflecting major challenges in achieving social justice and providing a decent life for citizens. Women, especially breadwinners, are among the groups most affected by high poverty rates, as they face double difficulties in meeting their families’ basic needs amid limited resources and the high cost of living.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this context, Entessar El-Saeed, a lawyer before the Court of Cassation and chair of the board of trustees of the Cairo Foundation for Development and Law, says that “the worsening economic crisis in Egypt has left most families, above all women breadwinners, unable to provide basic food needs, let alone the expenses of occasions and feasts, such as buying sacrificial animals or Eid necessities for the children”. She explains, speaking to Zawia3: “The burden on women specifically is increasing because of the unjust gendered nature of roles within the family, as women are always held responsible for ensuring the ‘joy of Eid’ and providing food security for the family, even in the absence of sufficient resources or income”.<\/span><\/p>\n

Entessar points out that “these burdens are not limited to the economic aspect alone, but also include great psychological and emotional pressure, as a result of women’s feeling of being unable to meet their families’ needs, which deepens the gap between the rights stipulated by law and the reality that women live every day”. She stresses that “religious and social occasions, which are supposed to be seasons of joy and solidarity, have come to represent suffocating burdens on families, in the absence of effective social protection policies, the decline of the subsidy system and the persistence of high inflation rates”. She says: “What we need today is real intervention that restores consideration for social justice and ensures that feasts do not turn into a psychological and economic burden, but remain a space of joy and human dignity for all”.<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span> report<\/span><\/a> recently issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics on agricultural production in Egypt showed that the country’s total production of red meat reached 554,000 tonnes in 2022, compared with 512,000 tonnes in 2021, an increase of 8.2%. According to the report, the average per capita share of red meat was about 7.4 kilograms a year, while the rate of self-sufficiency in this type of meat did not exceed 56.6%, reflecting continued dependence on imports to meet local demand.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recommended reading:<\/b> Imported Cattle Triumph in El-Sisi’s Speech\u2026 But at Whose Expense?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Confused Markets <\/b><\/h1>\n

Traders and citizens who spoke to Zawia3 agree on the unprecedented rise in the prices of all consumer goods, including meat. On the causes, a livestock trader named Mohamed El-Sherif, from Minya Governorate, explains that the main reason is the rise in the prices of feed and supplies, pointing out that the price of a tonne of imported feed has doubled over the past two years to reach EGP 13,000 to 15,000, which represents a great burden on traders, farmers and livestock breeders. Veterinary care and feeding expenses have also doubled for small and medium breeders, and many are now forced to give up some of their herd or to reduce the weights of the livestock offered for sale in order to cut overall expenses.<\/span><\/p>\n

He adds: “On the other hand, the rise in the prices of petroleum products has affected the cost of transporting feed and livestock from the rural governorates to city markets. With the price of a litre of mazut exceeding EGP 4 in March 2025, transporting a single load of feed now costs the breeder more than EGP 1,500, compared with less than EGP 700 a year earlier.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Red meat prices in Egypt have seen a historic rise over the last decade, with the price of a kilo of fresh meat rising by nearly 365%, from about EGP 81 in 2014 to nearly EGP 377 in June 2024, according to official data and <\/span>market analyses<\/span><\/a>. The year 2023 recorded the largest annual jump in meat prices since 2014, as the price per kilo<\/span> rose<\/span><\/a> from EGP 170 in July 2022 to EGP 325 in June 2023, a record annual increase of 91%, the highest rate in a full decade. This escalation continued during 2024 and settled at an average of between EGP 370 and EGP 400 per kilo in the free markets, with prices exceeding EGP 500 recorded in some upscale areas of Greater Cairo in the first half of 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

The development of livestock wealth in Egypt faces deep structural<\/span> challenges<\/span><\/a> that hinder the achievement of sustainable and effective development. The sector suffers from limited natural resources, especially a shortage of land suitable for grazing and pasture, in addition to water scarcity, which limits the capacity to expand animal production. Moreover, the fierce competition between food crop cultivation and animal production for the available resources further complicates the problems, making the sector vulnerable to negative effects because of agricultural policies that tend to marginalise animal production.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the<\/span> launch<\/span><\/a> of huge national projects such as integrated animal production complexes, artificial insemination centres and genetic improvement<\/span> programmes<\/span><\/a>, these projects face challenges in fully achieving their objectives, especially with regard to involving small breeders, who make up the largest part of the sector. High production costs, expensive feed and the difficulty of obtaining suitable financing, despite the existence of financing programmes with reduced interest, remain major obstacles to the expansion and productivity of small breeders. Moreover, the heavy dependence on<\/span> importing<\/span><\/a> improved breeds and livestock places an economic burden and affects sustainability, despite attempts to reduce imports gradually. In addition, there are still<\/span> gaps<\/span><\/a> in modernising the sector’s infrastructure, such as slaughterhouses and dairy factories, despite the new projects, which affects the quality and efficiency of production.<\/span><\/p>\n

The grinding economic crisis that Egypt is going through has resulted in record rises in the prices of sacrificial animals during the 2025 Eid al-Adha season, beyond the ability of many families to buy the Eid sacrifice in the traditional way. The average price of a medium-sized sheep rose to about EGP 20,000, which highlighted the inability of families to secure the expenses of food and celebrations on other religious and social occasions.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jumps in the prices of meat and feed are reshaping the rituals of Eid al-Adha in Egypt and pushing thousands of families to give up the sacrifice or make do with donating, amid worsening living pressures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[413],"tags":[],"kateb":[6247],"class_list":["post-17526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-en","kateb-rasha-ammar"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-eslames1-27520637-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17526"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24101,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17526\/revisions\/24101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17526"},{"taxonomy":"kateb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kateb?post=17526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}