Ghabbour Auto's first-quarter net profit fell 70 per cent, the Egyptian auto distributor said in a bourse statement on Wednesday.

The country's distributor of tuk-tuks and motorbikes made by India's Bajaj Auto has been affected by a currency crisis that has made importing more difficult.

Net profit fell to E£14.1 million ($1.59 million) from 47.1 million a year earlier.

Egypt's largest listed auto assembler and distributor said sales fell to E£2.9 billion (326.7 million) from 3.2 billion.

The country's reserves more than halved to $17 billion in April and the central bank has been rationing dollars, giving priority to importers of essential goods and imposed a monthly cap of $50,000 on cash deposits at banks to fight a black market for dollars.

On March 14 the central bank devalued the Egyptian pound by around 13 per cent and said it would adopt a more flexible exchange rate policy.

Egypt has struggled to draw back tourists and foreign investors to revive its economy since a popular uprising in 2011. - Reuters