Thursday 26/February/2026 – 01:47 PM
Dr. Sherif Farouk, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, held an expanded meeting to follow up on the executive position of disbursing the additional grant to eligible citizens, within the framework of real-time monitoring of the disbursement system and ensuring its regularity in all governorates of the Republic, in implementation of the ministerial directive issued on 2/16/2026 regarding organizing the mechanisms and controls for disbursing the grant.
Disbursing the additional grant to eligible citizens
The Minister confirmed during the meeting that the Ministry is monitoring the situation around the clock through daily reports and central and subsidiary operations rooms, in full coordination with the Supply Directorates and the Holding Company for Food Industries, to ensure the regularity of disbursement operations without obstacles or delays, stressing the necessity of the availability of goods in the required quantities at all disbursement agencies, whether ration merchants, “My Association” outlets, or consumer complexes, in a way that ensures that the citizen receives his full entitlements without any shortage of any item.
Extending the operation of the supply dispensing system
In the context of facilitating the needs of citizens, Dr. Sherif Farouk directed that the ration dispensing system be extended for an additional 3 hours per day, starting from nine in the morning until twelve in the evening instead of nine in the evening, during the months of March and April 2026, allowing citizens a longer period of time to pay their dues and reducing congestion in front of the outlets.
In the context of making it easier for citizens, the citizen can disburse the value of the grant more than once and up to 4 times during the same month, allowing the disbursement of the 400 pounds to be divided according to the family’s needs and timing, without obligating the citizen to spend it all at once.
The Minister also directed to increase the replacement disbursement rate for merchants to 50% instead of 30%, as of April 1, 2026, in order to enhance the ability of ration outlets to re-inject goods as soon as possible and to ensure that no shortage occurs as a result of increased demand.
Dr. Sherif Farouk directed the Holding Company for Food Industries to secure a sufficient strategic stock of the basic commodities included in the grant, most notably sugar, oil, pasta, and rice, while continuing to pump additional quantities on a regular basis in accordance with the actual exchange rates, and daily monitoring the movement of commodity circulation across the republic to ensure the stability of supplies.
The Minister also reassured the regular work of the companies operating ration card systems and ATM machines, ensuring the efficiency of the networks and the absence of any technical obstacles that may affect citizens’ access to their entitlements, with prompt and immediate technical intervention if any problem is detected, ensuring the smooth flow of the system and its continuation of efficiency.
The Minister stressed the intensification of field monitoring campaigns and the follow-up of the ration directorates regarding the regularity of disbursement and the outlets’ adherence to the specified prices and profit margins, while activating mechanisms for receiving complaints and dealing immediately with them, and not lax in taking legal measures against any violation.
He stressed that the ministerial directive explicitly stipulated that the grant be disbursed according to the citizen’s desire from among the goods included in the approved list, with a maximum of basic goods per month (4 kilos of sugar + 3 bottles of oil + 6 bags of pasta + 3 kilos of rice), with the possibility of supplementing the value of the grant amounting to 400 pounds for each ration card due for each month of the grant with other goods from the same list according to the citizen’s choice.
The Minister explained that the disbursement of the March grant has already begun as of this February and will continue throughout the month of March, allowing a sufficient period of time for citizens to disburse their dues without accumulation. The April grant will also be disbursed throughout the entire month, within the framework of the Ministry’s plan to facilitate citizens and ensure the regularity and stability of the disbursement system.
Dr. Sherif Farouk sent a clear message to ration merchants, stressing the need to fully adhere to what was included in the ministerial directive, disburse goods to eligible citizens according to their desire, and clearly announce on the front of the store the types of goods and their prescribed prices, while adhering to the specified profit margin without any increase.
The Minister also called on eligible citizens to adhere to their full right to disburse the full value of the grant at the announced prices, stressing that they have the freedom to choose items from the approved list, and the possibility of disbursing it from any party within the scope of their governorate, whether from a ration merchant, a “My Association” outlet, or consumer complexes.
He stressed that any violation of the provisions of the ministerial directive will be dealt with decisively, and immediate legal measures will be taken against any outlet proven to have violated it, ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights and achieving full discipline in the exchange system.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Alaa Naji, Managing Director and CEO of the Holding Company for Food Industries, Dr. Mohamed Sheta, Assistant Minister for Digital Services, Mr. Ahmed Kamal, Assistant Minister and Official Spokesman for the Ministry, and Sarah Al-Azzazi, Head of the Central Administration for the Affairs of the Minister’s Office.
