The Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, led by Minister Ahmed Samir, has extended the ban on sugar exports for an additional three months. This extension is in accordance with Ministerial Resolution No. 88/2023, which allows for the export of sugar only when quantities exceed domestic market needs. These surplus amounts are determined by the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade and require the approval of the Minister of Trade and Industry. The decision will be published in Egypt’s official gazette.
This move comes in response to a crisis that emerged as sugar prices reached unprecedented highs and supplies dwindled from stores by the end of the previous year. The Ministry’s decree from December 2023 has been prolonged as a preventive step to ensure an adequate supply of sugar for the nation’s consumption.
Egypt’s sugar production is approximately 2.8 million tonnes annually, while the domestic demand is about 3.5 million tonnes, based on data from the Egyptian National Agriculture Library.
To address this shortfall, the government has secured a supply of sugar beet for the sugar factories operated by the Holding Company for Food Industries. During the current season, 600,000 feddans have been cultivated across various governorates for this purpose.
