Egypt’s exports rise to $4.53bn amid strong food and energy trade

Egypt’s exports rose 3.58% year-on-year in May 2026 to $4.53 billion, from $4.37 billion in the same month in 2025, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) said on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The figures were included in CAPMAS’s monthly bulletin on foreign trade data for May 2026.

The increase was driven by higher exports of several commodities, including fresh fruit, up 40.3%; fertilisers, up 9.4%; plastics in primary forms, up 29.1%; and crude oil, up 56.4%, CAPMAS said.

The rise was partly offset by declines in exports of ready-made garments, down 10.4%, pasta and assorted food preparations, down 12.6%, iron bars, rods, angles and wires, down 50.2%, and carpets and rugs, down 12.4%.

Imports rose 1.72% to $8.52 billion in May 2026 from $8.37 billion a year earlier, driven by higher imports of natural gas, up 96.8%, petroleum products, up 18.2%, raw materials of iron or steel, up 3.3%, and wheat, up 33.5%. Imports of plastics in primary forms fell 15.6%, pharmaceutical products and medicines declined 39.1%, maize fell 4.0%, and organic and inorganic chemicals dropped 24.9%, CAPMAS said.

Consequently, Egypt’s trade deficit narrowed slightly to $3.99 billion in May from $4.00 billion in the same month last year, a decline of 0.30%.

In parallel, Egypt’s National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) said on Sunday, August 9, 2026, that the number of food export consignments reached 3,900, totalling 160,000 tonnes, from 1,333 exporting companies and covering about 683 types of food products. The exports included vegetables and tubers, fruits, preserved vegetable and fruit preparations, flour and grain products, and various other food products, the authority said in its 29th weekly report for 2026, covering Aug. 1-7.

The report said that 44 types of vegetables were exported, totalling 46,000 tonnes. Potatoes topped Egypt’s vegetable exports last week at 17,000 tonnes, followed by onions at 11,000 tonnes and various types of beans at 5,000 tonnes. Egypt exported 33 types of fruit totalling 31,000 tonnes, with strawberries leading at 11,000 tonnes, followed by citrus fruits and mangoes at 6,000 tonnes each.

Sudan was the largest importer of Egyptian food products last week, followed by the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, the US and Jordan, among 184 countries importing Egyptian food products, the report said. Alexandria Port handled the largest number of food export consignments, with 688, followed by Damietta port with 582 and Safaga Port with 510.

As part of efforts to support food exports, the authority issued 1,110 health certificates for export during the week under its approved procedures to ensure products meet safety requirements and strengthen international market confidence in Egyptian exports.

Food imports totalled 1,695 consignments weighing about 204,000 tonnes, imported by 880 companies. The imports included soybeans, wheat and various oils. The US was the largest source of food imports into Egypt, followed by Indonesia, Russia, Brazil and China, among 87 countries that exported food products to the Egyptian market. Alexandria port also ranked first for food imports, handling 519 consignments, followed by Port Said with 267 and Cairo International Airport with 264.