Egypt ships 210,000 tons of food exports in mid-January as trade flows stay strong

EGYPT – Egypt shipped about 210,000 tons of food products in the week of 17 to 23 January 2026, according to the National Food Safety Authority.

The authority said 5,900 export consignments left the country through 1,540 companies and covered about 764 food product categories, including fruits, vegetables, tubers, processed products, and other food items.

Fruit exports reached about 82,000 tons across 30 varieties. Citrus led with around 67,000 tons, followed by strawberries at about 8,000 tons and other fruits at roughly 7,000 tons. Vegetable exports reached 46,000 tons across 34 varieties. Sweet potatoes topped the list with about 10,000 tons, while beans and potatoes each recorded about 7,000 tons.

Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates ranked among the main markets for Egyptian food products, within a total of 182 importing countries during the week. Cairo Airport handled the highest number of export consignments, processing 1,232 shipments.

Imports and certification activity

On the import side, Egypt received about 415,000 tons of food products through 1,844 consignments handled by 930 companies. Russia ranked as the largest supplier country during the week, followed by Brazil and Indonesia, among a total of 110 exporting countries supplying food to Egypt.

The authority issued 2,050 export health certificates during the same period. It also released 1,172 consignments under temporary clearance procedures and processed 463 shipments through the accelerated release system.

Officials said the figures reflect steady trade flows across fresh and processed food products moving through air and other export channels.

Broader export trends

The latest weekly data follows strong performance in Egypt’s agricultural trade in 2025. Agricultural exports reached US$11.5B in 2025, according to Agriculture and Land Reclamation Minister Alaa Farouk. He said agricultural exports accounted for nearly 24 percent of Egypt’s total exports, while total volumes reached about 9.5 million tonnes.

“2025 marked an exceptional year for agricultural exports in terms of both volume and value,” Farouk said.

Official data shows citrus fruits at the top of Egypt’s export list with about 2 million tonnes shipped in 2025, while potatoes reached 1.3 million tonnes and sweet potatoes 387,000 tonnes. Other major exports included beans, onions, grapes, pomegranates, mangoes, tomatoes, and strawberries.

Farouk said demand from Europe continued to rise. “Egyptian agricultural products enjoy strong trust in global markets because they meet strict quality standards,” he said.

Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE.