São Paulo – Egypt’s processed food exports have increased steadily over the past few years. In 2011, sales amounted to 17 billion Egyptian pounds (US$ 2.66 billion at the current exchange rate), up 16% from the preceding year. The information was supplied by the Egyptian Food Export Council to the Commercial Office of Egypt in São Paulo.
The industry accounts for 13% of the country’s total non-oil exports. In 2009, exports were up 10% from the preceding year; in 2010 they were up 35%; and since 2005 revenues from shipments had a combined 331% increase, according to the Council.
Export items include cheese, sugar, frozen vegetables, vegetable saps, oils, seeds and oleaginous fruit, tobacco, juice, feed, pastries, pasta, essential oils, processed potatoes, milling products, cereal preparations, chocolate, coffee, dried fruit, fats and other food preparations.
The main target markets for Egypt in this area are other Arab and African countries. The leading target among the Arabs is Saudi Arabia, followed by Libya, Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria. United States and European Union are also major buyers.
Egyptian food exports to Brazil stood slightly above US$ 5 million in 2011, up 40% from 2010 according to figures supplied by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
