According to Egypt’s “Daily News” on April 1: Medhat Zereik, Secretary General of the Medical Supplies Department of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce (CCC), said that due to the new coronavirus pandemic, the price of masks has increased from A box of 10 Egyptian pounds has been increased to 150 Egyptian pounds. N95 masks made in the United States, which were previously sold for 5-6 Egyptian pounds, have now risen to 40-50 Egyptian pounds.
Zereik pointed out that given that some masks are produced in Egypt, the price of masks in Egypt is still relatively cheap compared with other countries. He said that Egyptian masks are still the cheapest masks in the world, because a box of masks costs 1,000 Egyptian pounds in some countries. In China, the price of masks has reached 800-1,000 Egyptian pounds, as have the prices of masks in some Arab countries, and prices in Europe have also increased exponentially.
Zereik attributed the price increase to the increase in supply and demand and the cost of raw materials. The factory price for importing one ton of necessary raw materials used to be EGP 30,000, but now The import price is 90,000 Egyptian pounds. The masks must meet European standards, have a material weight of 18 grams, and must be made of waterproof special materials with filters that do not allow bacteria or dust to pass through, as these masks are worn by surgeons.
Zereik stressed that the price of masks will fall in the days after the government starts distributing them to citizens for free. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has decided to stop exports for three months while increasing local factory production. He pointed out that Egypt’s mask production meets 40% of the country’s needs, and mask production continues to increase to meet local demand and export. The Egyptian government has donated masks to China. Before the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Egypt had been exporting masks. There are currently four registered mask production factories, and several other factories that hope to produce masks are currently in the process of registration.
