Annual exports of Egyptian food increased by 19 percent in 2021, recording $4.1 billion, compared with $3.45 billion in 2020, Chairman of the Food Export Council Hany Barzy said on Wednesday.
Barzy, in a statement by the Council, noted that the exports of June 2021 were the highest, recording $393 million.
He pointed out that Arab countries topped the list of international groups importing processed foods from Egypt. Exports to the Arab markets amounted to $2.225 billion, representing 54 percent of the total food exports during the year, Barzy explained.
In a previous statement, Egypt’s Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea noted that the most important Egyptian agricultural crops exported include rice, grains, onions, garlic, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, citrus fruits, and peanuts, for which Russia, Saudi Arabia, Britain, and the United Arab Emirates are the most important markets for such Egyptian exports.
The European Union came second in the list with a value of $634 million, with a growth rate of 29 percent and representing 15 percent of Egypt’s total food exports, Barzy said.
It was followed by non-Arab African countries with the value of food imported from Egypt amounting to $404 million, representing 10 percent of the total.
The value of food exports to the US upped by 23 percent to $223 million, representing 5 percent of Egypt’s total food exports.
The rest of the international groups recorded $616 million worth of food imports from Egypt during 2021, which represents 15 percent of the total Egyptian food exports in the year.