CAIRO- Egypt is bannning raw sugar imports for three months unless special permission is granted, the official gazette said on Thursday.

Egypt will also ban white sugar imports for three months except for sugar needed for pharmaceuticals, the document said.

The decision is designed "to protect the national industry from fluctuations in global sugar prices", the trade and industry ministry said in a statement.

Imports had become cheaper than the cost of local production, which was harming Egypt's sugar industry.

(Reporting by Maha El Dahan and Omar Fahmy Writing by Ulf Laessing Editing by David Goodman) ((Ulf.Laessing@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: follow me on twitter @ulflaessing))