Egypt exports 160,000 tonnes of food in one week as Saudi Arabia leads destinations
Egypt exported about 160,000 tonnes of food in 3,800 shipments during August 8-14, 2026. Saudi Arabia was the largest destination, while sweet potatoes and strawberries led vegetable and fruit exports.
Exports reach 181 countries
Egypt exported about 160,000 tonnes of food in 3,800 shipments during the week of August 8-14, 2026, according to the National Food Safety Authority’s 30th weekly report, cited by Youm7. The shipments were handled by 1,475 exporting companies and reached 181 countries.
The export portfolio covered approximately 654 products, including vegetables and tubers, fruit, preserved fruit and vegetable preparations, flour, cereal products and other processed foods. Saudi Arabia ranked as the largest destination for Egyptian food exports during the week, followed by Sudan, Libya, Spain and the United States.
The figures show a geographically broad export base, although the authority did not disclose tonnage or value by destination. The absence of country-level volumes means Saudi Arabia’s precise share cannot be calculated from the weekly report.
Sweet potatoes and strawberries lead shipments
Vegetable exports totaled 36,000 tonnes across 40 product categories. Sweet potatoes led this segment with 13,000 tonnes, followed by onions at 7,000 tonnes and potatoes at 4,000 tonnes. Together, these three products accounted for 24,000 tonnes, or two-thirds of the reported vegetable volume.
Fruit exports reached 30,000 tonnes across 32 categories. Strawberries ranked first at about 10,000 tonnes, while citrus fruit and mangoes each contributed 6,000 tonnes. The three leading fruit groups therefore represented 22,000 tonnes of the weekly fruit total.
Vegetables and fruit together accounted for 66,000 tonnes, leaving 94,000 tonnes spread across preserved preparations, flour, cereal products and other foods. No breakdown was provided for those remaining categories, and the report did not include export prices or total shipment value.
Safaga handles the most export consignments
Safaga was the leading export gateway by shipment count, processing 775 consignments. Damietta followed with 445, while Alexandria handled 440. The authority also issued 1,080 export health certificates during the week under its approved food-safety compliance mechanism.
Regulatory activity included 754 inspection visits covering agricultural produce prepared for export in 15 governorates, including Cairo, Beheira, Alexandria, Ismailia and Kafr El Sheikh. The authority registered nine new facilities and issued 1,067 agricultural export permits for 873 companies, according to El Watan.
Egypt also imported 176,000 tonnes of food in 2,002 shipments for 871 companies during the same period. Key imports included wheat, vegetable oils and soybeans. Russia was the leading supplier, followed by Indonesia, the United States, China and Malaysia, among 84 origin countries. The inbound tonnage was 16,000 tonnes higher than food export volume, although the product mix and lack of value data prevent a direct commercial comparison.
