Browse Data and Analysis

On August 1, 2024, the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality notified the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) of a draft amendment to Egypt’s shelf life for certain food products (see G/TBT/N/EGY/212/Add.8).

Egypt’s sugar production in marketing year 2024/25 (October to September) is forecast to reach 2.6 million metric tons, down 110,000 tons from USDA official MY2023/24 production estimates on lower cane sugar production.

This report is an annual update on the food import standards and enforcement mechanisms in Egypt. It includes updates on importer registration procedures, halal certification requirements, and shelf-life validity periods, among other standards and regulations.

This report outlines Egypt’s requirements for import permits and export certificates for agricultural products intended for human and animal consumption.

On June 27, 2024, the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry signed Decree No. 361/2024. The Decree extended the shelf-life validity period for imported frozen beef liver from seven to twelve months and for frozen fish from six to ten months. The decree is valid for six months, as of July 1, 2024, and expires on December 31, 2024.

In late May 2024, the Egyptian Government announced its intention to increase the price of subsidized bread (from 5 piasters {$.001} per loaf to 20 piasters {$.004} per loaf) as of June 1, 2024 -- marking the first increase in the price of subsidized bread in Egypt in 36 years.

Serbia’s Marketing Year (MY) 2024/25 wheat area is forecast at 625,000 hectares (HA), 14 percent lower than the previous year. If the predicted yield of 5 MT/HA is achieved, wheat production is expected to reach 3.1 Million Metric Tons (MMT).

FAS/Cairo (Post) forecasts Egypt’s wheat imports in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 to increase by 2 percent from the previous marketing year, due to population growth and the availability of more foreign currency in Egyptian banks.

Egyptian cotton production in marketing year (MY) 2024/25, the period from August 2024 to July 2025, is forecast at 310,000 bales, down 40,000 bales from MY2023/24, driven by a 4-percent drop in harvested area and lower input use, impacting yields.

FAS/Cairo (Post) forecasts Egypt’s soybean imports in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 (October – September) to increase by 14.8 percent from the previous marketing year, due to an influx of foreign currency into Egyptian banks.

Attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial vessels have resulted in many shipping companies rerouting away from two of the world's busiest shipping routes — the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Despite a myriad of economic hardships, Egypt hosted 14.9 million tourists in 2023 (exceeding its previous record of 14.7 million tourists in 2010).