Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail opened on Thursday the 48th round of the annual Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) amid an economic crisis that hit Egyptian publishers.
The region's largest and oldest book fair which runs through February 10 includes 35 countries and 670 publishing houses, Xinhua news agency reported.
Only 451 Egyptian publishing houses are taking part, compared to 550 last year.
The decrease in number is due to the recent local currency floatation which increased the prices of paper and ink as well as book prices.
Since its establishment in 1969, the CIBF is considered as the largest and oldest in the Middle East and the second largest worldwide after Germany's Frankfurt Book Fair.
--IANS
soni/mr
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