The eighth International Ceramic and Sanitaryware Exhibition (ICS) is expected to increase exports to Africa by 5%, chairperson of Climax Creation Group Ahmed Hashim told Daily News Egypt.
Climax Creation Group is the organiser of the ICS exhibition. The exhibition is a marketing assembly for all manner of ceramics and sanitary ware, and full furnishings for bathrooms and kitchens, that includes several local and international companies, organisations, factories and importers in the field of ceramic and sanitary ware.
The ICS exhibition will be held from 9 to 12 November.
Hashim expects an increase in customers visiting the exhibition this year and anticipates the participation of 150 local and foreign companies.
He noted that the ICS exhibition aims to support local companies to export ceramics, especially exports to Africa.
The chairperson revealed that the company intends to organise a ceramics exhibition in the first quarter of next year in Sharm El-Sheikh as well.
He remarked that the ICS exhibition also aims to promote tourism exhibitions in Egypt, as well as, marketing Egyptian products to other foreign and local companies.
“The ceramic industry in Egypt is strong and promising, and the export outlook is good, however, there are some obstacles that need to be addressed to increase the export volume,” said Hashim. “The most important problem that ceramic exports face is losing the competitive advantage of Egypt’s ceramic industry due to the effect of price increases in gas and electricity services on factory production.”
He pointed out that the ceramic and sanitary ware manufacturers are currently in negotiations with the Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade Tarek Kabil to resolve this issue.
Egyptian exports of ceramic and sanitary ware outside the continent of Africa amounted to $322m, while its exports to Africa reached approximately $110m in 2015, according to chairperson of the Construction Export Council Medhat Askar.
Askar added that Egypt’s exports of ceramic and sanitary ware to Africa represents 43% of the total ceramic and sanitary ware exports in 2015.
Egypt’s exports of tiles around the world amounted to $113m in 2015, while Africa’s imports of tiles constituted 44% of the total exports, or $48.5m.
Exports of sanitary ware registered $3.5m in 2015, and exports to Africa constituted 18% of this, or $19m.
Libya has imported $60m worth of ceramics in 2016, which constitutes 54.5% of Egypt’s exports, followed by Sudan with$22m, 20% of the total.
“Kenya is the biggest importer of Egyptian sanitary ware within Africa, representing 29% of Egyptian exports at $1m in 2015,” said Askar. “Germany is the biggest importer of sanitary ware from Egypt outside the African continent with $4m worth during 2015.”
