According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt’s agricultural exports surpassed 8.6 million tons in 2024, marking a significant success for the sector. The figure represents an 11 per cent growth in exports, the equivalent of around 1.2 million tons compared to 2023. Citrus fruits led the way at 2.39 million tons, followed by potatoes at 977,000 tons.
This achievement stems from the government’s strategic focus on opening 93 new markets and exporting over 400 agricultural products to 160 countries, according to Al-Sayed Al-Qusseir, the former minister of agriculture.
Moreover, Egypt has begun to reap the benefits of the intellectual property law signed several years ago that encourages producers to develop new crop varieties, Sherif Al-Beltagi, a member of the Agricultural Export Council, told Al-Ahram Weekly.
These innovations have extended the export seasons and introduced crop variants with production cycles different from the traditional varieties.
Al-Beltagi highlighted how the grape export season, which previously lasted for four to five weeks, now extends for up to three months thanks to the introduction of new locally produced grape varieties.
Agricultural exports will grow by at least 10 per cent in 2025, anticipated Al-Beltagi.
Over the past decade, the sector has seen remarkable growth, with exports doubling from four million tons in 2014 to more than 8.6 million in 2024.
Egyptian agricultural products enjoy a strong reputation in European markets, which has enabled exporters to directly supply retail outlets, Al-Beltagi said. This marks a significant achievement and vindicates sustained efforts to maintain high-quality standards, he added.
According to data from the Agricultural Export Council for the 2023-24 export season, European countries topped the list of importers of Egyptian goods with total imports amounting to approximately $2 billion.
They were followed by the Arab countries at around $1.5 billion. Asian countries ranked third, with imports valued at $429 million, while exports to the Americas and Australia reached about $148 million. The African countries came last, with total exports from Egypt amounting to $81 million.
The total value of exports for the 2023-24 season, which runs from September 2023 to August 2024, reached approximately $4.3 billion, according to council data.
Exports to the East Asian countries in 2024 were significantly impacted due to disruptions in maritime navigation in the Red Sea because of the war on Gaza, Al-Beltagi said. These disruptions, which affected the Suez Canal, have led to an increase in shipping costs as a result of higher insurance premiums.
“Shipments have been taking longer than usual to reach their destinations, which has negatively affected some exported products, including grapes,” he said.
Earlier this month, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said that Egypt had lost $7 billion in Suez Canal revenues over the past 11 months.
Exports to the European and Gulf markets were not heavily affected, Al-Beltagi explained, because exports to Europe primarily rely on the Mediterranean Sea, which has remained unaffected by tensions, while shipments to Gulf markets are transported via land and sea routes.
Al-Beltagi is hopeful that the ceasefire in Gaza will restore maritime navigation in the Red Sea to normal, which would help the sector’s exports return to their usual levels in East Asian markets.
He attributed the recent boom in agricultural exports to the adoption of advanced technology by Egyptian exporters in the agricultural sector. The use of modern techniques has improved farming practices and ensured consistent product quality, he said, allowing Egyptian goods to maintain competitiveness in international markets.
The depreciation of the Egyptian pound against foreign currencies has also played a significant role in boosting the competitiveness of Egyptian products in global markets, said Abdel-Rahman Al-Husseini, an exporter to the Spanish market.
The Egyptian pound was floated on 6 March 2024. It is now trading at LE51 per dollar compared to LE31 before the floatation.
However, Al-Husseini noted that the sector relies on importing up to 50 per cent of its production inputs, such as pesticides, seeds, and disinfectants, which has limited the extent to which exports have benefited from the pound’s depreciation against the US dollar.
Nonetheless, he noted that reduced agricultural output in Morocco and Spain due to drought has created significant opportunities for Egyptian exports to strengthen their presence in international markets. Both countries are among Egypt’s primary competitors in global markets because of similarities in agricultural products and overlapping harvest seasons.
He added that Spain is also grappling with a labour shortage, which has driven up wages and increased local production costs. As a result, imported Egyptian products, such as summer oranges, have become more competitive compared to their Spanish counterparts.
To further boost Egyptian exports to Europe, the Export Council is negotiating with the agent of the company operating the roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) shipping line to reduce shipping costs to Italy, a move aimed at boosting the competitiveness of Egyptian products in European markets, according to Al-Beltagi.
In late November, the Ro-Ro cargo shipping line began operations connecting Damietta in Egypt with Trieste in Italy. The line is serviced by a vessel with a capacity of 420 trucks that operates one trip a week between the two ports. Ro-Ro shipping involves driving cars or trucks onto a special vessel at the origin and then rolling them off again at the destination.
This ensures regularity in shipping schedules and offers significant speed, Al-Beltagy said. Shipments to the UK, the farthest point in Europe, now take only six to seven days to arrive, compared to the previous times of 10 to 20 days.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: