Hundreds of Egyptians protested around the country on Tuesday, blocking roads and surrounding government offices, after a change to the way bread rations are managed raised fears that the government was cutting food subsidies by the back door. Protests began on Monday after changes to a bread subsidy scheme left some people without their ration. The government sought to reassure Egyptians the issue would be resolved in days. "We were surprised when the bakers refused to give us bread with the excuse that the Supply Ministry reduced their rations," said Ahmed Faraj, an Alexandria resident. Most protests drew small crowds and dissipated quickly. The Supply Ministry on Monday denied it planned to cut bread subsidies after local media reported that rations would go from five to three loaves a day. However, last week it did reduce the amount bakers can sell via the "gold card" scheme. The Minister of Supply, Ali Moselhy, told a news conference that citizens would not see their bread rations reduced as temporary paper cards are phased out and replaced by smart cards. "Apologies to all citizens that have not received loaves of bread. Rest assured that this issue will be resolved within 48 hours ... Every citizen has a right to bread," he said.
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