Cairo: As part of the efforts of the Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS) to enhance Egyptian food industry exports and increase their competitiveness in Arab markets, the Egyptian Commercial Office in Kuwait, headed by Minister Plenipotentiary for Commercial Affairs Essam Breqa, organized a video conference seminar in cooperation with the Food Export Council to introduce Egyptian exporters to the requirements for exporting to the Kuwaiti market.
According to State Information Service Egypt, at the beginning of the meeting, Breqa reviewed the performance indicators of Egypt's food industry exports to Kuwait, noting that total exports reached about $125 million in 2024, compared to $107 million in 2023, marking a 17% increase. He highlighted the growing demand among Kuwaiti consumers for Egyptian food products due to their high quality and competitive pricing. Key export items include frozen vegetables, cheese, confectionery and chocolate, snacks, chilled, smoked and salted fish, chilled and frozen meat products, vegetable and animal ghee, sauces, jams, broths, tea, soft drinks, and tobacco products.
He also underlined several important considerations to ensure the smooth flow of Egyptian exports to Kuwait and the quick release of shipments, including compliance with all certificates required for exporting food products to Kuwait, adherence to the Kuwaiti Imported Food Regulation issued in 2023, and ensuring that all certificates are issued before shipment. He added that the ECS coordinated with the Food Export Council to circulate the Kuwaiti regulation to all member companies and encouraged exporters to contact the Egyptian Commercial Office in Kuwait for any inquiries related to Kuwaiti market requirements.
Officials from the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) reviewed the efforts to facilitate the flow of Egyptian exports to Kuwait, confirming that, as of January 2025, the NFSA is the sole authority responsible for issuing fitness certificates for manufactured food products. They also emphasized the existence and effective communication channels between the Egyptian and Kuwaiti food authorities to address any inquiries related to Egyptian shipments.
In this context, Commercial Minister Plenipotentiary Abdel Aziz El-Sherif, First Undersecretary and Head of the ECS, stated that the trade exchange volume between Egypt and Kuwait reached $238 million during the period January-August 2025, compared to $202 million during the same period in 2024, an 18% increase. He added that Egyptian exports to Kuwait recorded $198.7 million during the same period, compared to $176.2 million the previous year, a 13% increase, reflecting the strength of the economic and trade relations between the two countries and opening wider prospects for cooperation in food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries.
El-Sherif concluded by reaffirming that the ECS continues its efforts to open new markets for Egyptian products and strengthen their presence in Arab and Gulf markets, in line with Egypt's strategy to increase non-oil exports and achieve the goals of Egypt's Vision 2030 for Sustainable Development.