The price of meat in Egypt has risen so quickly over the last few months that most people have stopped buying meat altogether.

Prices have jumped by up to 10% in just over four weeks. Some of the increases were caused by a jump in the price of animal fodder just over a year ago.

This caused Egyptian farmers to slaughter more of their livestock to avoid having to pay the cost of feeding them. Livestock populations dwindled and after an initial glut of meat, the price rose.

The authorities have taken notice. The governor of Aswan province intervened to fix the price of beef, and no cattle, alive or dead were allowed out of the governorate.

Meat imports, which make up 40% of Egypt's meat market, have also leapt in price with shipments now costing hundreds of dollars more than last year.

A health scare last year prompted importers to cease buying meat from India, and they switched to beef from Brazil. One importer said that a tonne of Brazilian beef now costs US$700 more than it did last year.

Egypt is a deeply divided society, and food shortages breed instability in the country. Two years ago there were riots when the price of bread rose just a few cents. A dozen people were killed across Egypt in clashes with security forces.