The Egyptian government has announced a decision to import rice to increase supply and avoid a potential price shock to consumers. Although milled and paddy rice prices increased in April, the recent announcement to increase imports caused prices to fall. It anticipates prices will continue downward as the August/September harvest commences and imports start arriving. Since a recent peak of 4.8 million tonnes in 2016-17, Egypt production fell to 4.3 million in 2017-18 and is forecast to drop to 3.3 million in 2018-19, according to the USDA. Meanwhile, it forecasts 400,000 tonnes of rice imports in 2018-19, up from 50,000 tonnes in 2017-18.