Arab Finance: Egypt has collected approximately 4.7 million tons of locally produced wheat from farmers since the start of the current procurement season in mid-April, Ahmad Idam, Head of the services sector at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Reuters.

Idam said the quantities delivered so far represent around 94% of the government's procurement target of approximately 5 million tons for the current season.

He noted that the volume of wheat supplied to the government has reached a record high, reflecting strong participation from farmers during this year's harvest season.

Egypt's local wheat procurement season begins in mid-April each year and continues through mid-August, with the government purchasing wheat from farmers as part of efforts to secure strategic grain reserves and support domestic production.

Earlier this year, Egypt’s Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade set the procurement price for the 2026 local wheat season at EGP 2,500 per ardeb for a purity grade of 23.5, with the season running from April 15th to August 15th and a target of collecting 5 million tons.

The ministry also set prices at EGP 2,450 per ardeb for a purity grade of 23 and EGP 2,400 for a purity grade of 22.5, describing the rates as competitive with global markets and aimed at encouraging higher supply from farmers.

In March, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Egypt’s wheat production is expected to increase by 6.5% year-on-year (YoY) to 9.8 million tons in the 2026/2027 season.

The USDA attributed the projected growth to an expansion of cultivated areas to approximately 3.6 million feddans and higher procurement prices to encourage farmers.

It is worth mentioning that Egypt procured about 4 million tons of local wheat during the harvest season that ended in mid-August 2025, marking an increase of more than half a million tons compared to last year’s 3.43 million tons.