Cairo: Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El-Khatib, participated in the opening of the 9th Food Africa, Fresh Africa, and Pack Process exhibitions held from December 3-5 at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre. The event features 1,018 companies from 39 countries and covers sectors such as food industries, agricultural products, packaging, and food processing machinery.

According to State Information Service Egypt, El-Khatib stated that Egypt’s food industry exports had reached approximately $4.6 billion by the end of September 2024, marking an 18 per cent increase compared to $3.9 billion in the same period in 2023. This marks the highest export value and growth rate in the history of Egypt’s food industry exports.

The minister highlighted the importance of increasing the country’s agricultural exports to the African market, which currently represent only about 2 per cent of Egypt’s total agricultural exports. He noted that citrus fruits, particularly oranges, lead Egypt’s agri
cultural exports, making Egypt the world’s top orange exporter.

El-Khatib mentioned key initiatives supporting this growth, including the EU’s reduction of additional pesticide checks on Egyptian citrus exports and the launch of a roll-on roll-off (RORO) shipping line between Damietta and Trieste, facilitating the export of perishable goods to European markets.