Egypt ships 200,000 tonnes of food to 166 countries in one week
Egypt exported 4,220 food consignments totaling 200,000 tonnes during the reporting week, reaching 166 countries through 1,450 exporters. Sweet potatoes and strawberries led vegetable and fruit shipments, while the United States was the largest destination.
Exports span 710 food products
Egypt exported about 4,220 food consignments with a combined volume of 200,000 tonnes during the reporting week, according to the National Food Safety Authority data reported by El Watan. The shipments were handled by 1,450 exporting companies and reached 166 countries, demonstrating a broad customer base for Egyptian food producers and traders.
The consignments covered around 710 products. These included vegetables and tubers, fruit, flour and cereal products, preserved fruit and vegetable preparations, and other processed foods. The volume and product range show that Egypt’s weekly food trade extended beyond fresh produce into milled and manufactured categories, although the official report did not provide a value for the shipments.
Sweet potatoes and strawberries lead fresh produce
Vegetable exports comprised 36 products totaling 50,000 tonnes, equivalent to one quarter of the week’s reported food-export volume. Sweet potatoes ranked first with 17,000 tonnes, followed by onions at 14,000 tonnes and potatoes at 5,000 tonnes. Together, those three products accounted for 36,000 tonnes, or 72% of the reported vegetable total.
Fruit exports covered 28 products and reached 30,000 tonnes. Strawberries led the category at 12,000 tonnes, followed by mangoes at 7,000 tonnes and pomegranates at 5,000 tonnes. The three leading fruits therefore represented 24,000 tonnes, or 80% of total fruit shipments. Vegetables and fruit together contributed 80,000 tonnes, leaving 120,000 tonnes across flour, cereal products, preserved preparations and other foods.
United States heads a diversified destination list
The United States was the leading destination for Egyptian food exports during the week. Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Somalia and Sudan followed among the 166 importing countries. The list combines a large distant market with regional buyers in the Gulf and North and East Africa, reducing reliance on a single destination while creating different logistics and compliance requirements for exporters.
Safaga handled the largest number of outbound food consignments, with 741, followed by Damietta with 650 and Alexandria with 567. Together, the three ports processed 1,958 consignments, about 46% of the national total. The authority issued 1,340 export health certificates under its approved food-safety compliance mechanism.
Inspections and imports underline the regulatory workload
Regulators conducted 740 inspection visits covering agricultural products prepared for export and issued 1,033 agricultural export permits for 833 companies. They also carried out 79 factory-assessment visits and 40 control missions at packing stations and centers. Seven facilities were registered, five met the authority’s requirements, and another five new facilities were registered through the packing-station supervision process.
Egypt also received 2,331 imported food consignments totaling an estimated 220,000 tonnes from 84 countries and 900 importing companies. Soybeans, wheat and various oils were among the principal imports. The United States ranked first among suppliers, followed by Russia, Indonesia, Ukraine and India. Imported volume exceeded exported volume by 20,000 tonnes during the week, although the figures cover different product mixes and cannot be treated as a value-based trade balance.
