Egypt has reported a total of $1.22bn in exports to Nile Basin countries during 2019, compared to $1.20bn in 2018, reflecting an increase of 1.4%.
On Sunday, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) issued its annual bulletin of trade exchange between Egypt and Nile Basin countries for the year 2019.
The bulletin reviewed the volume of trade, including exports and imports, with Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Eritrea.
The total value of imports coming into Egypt from Nile Basin countries decreased 4.6% to $640m in 2019, compared to $670m in 2018, CAPMAS noted.
It said that Sudan was the top importer of Egyptian products among Nile Basin countries, with its imports increasing 16.6% to $465.5m in 2019, compared to $399.3m in 2018.
Among the most important items that Egypt exported to Sudan were raw materials for the plastics industry, iron and its derivatives, and glass and its derivatives.
Kenya came in second place, in terms of Egyptian exports, with a value of $345.9m in 2019, compared to $354.6m in 2018, reflecting a decrease of 2.5%. The most important items that Egypt exported to Kenya were paper and pulp articles, sugar and its derivatives, as well as plastics and their derivatives.
CAPMAS added that Kenya ranked first among the Nile Basin countries exporting to Egypt, with a value of $257.3m in 2019, compared to $287.3m in 2018, reflecting a decrease of 10.4%. Among the most important items that Egypt imported from Kenya were coffee, tea, and spices.
In second place came Sudan, with a value of $203.6m in 2019, compared to $207.5m in 2018, reflecting a decrease of 1.9%. The most important Sudanese imports to Egypt were grains, oil fruits, medicinal plants, fodder, and cotton.
According to CAPMAS, the chemical and plastic products segment ranked first in terms of Egyptian exports to Nile Basin countries, showing an increase of 7.1% to $404.3m in 2019 compared to $377.5m in 2018.
The animal and vegetable products segment, as well as beverages and tobacco, ranked first in terms of Egypt’s imports from Nile Basin countries. These items accounted for a combined value of $443.5m in 2019, compared to $455.8m in 2018, reflecting a decrease of 2.7%.
