Egypt's bread-subsidy system allows eligible people to use ration cards for five loaves of baladi bread per person each day. In June 2024, the government raised the price from five to twenty piastres—the first increase in thirty-six years, though still far below production cost.
The bakery queue is more than ordinary shopping. It is the point where an entitlement stored on a card becomes a household meal. Wheat imports, the state budget and family income are translated into the small daily unit of five loaves. The line persists because bread is simultaneously a food product and the most visible edge of social protection.