The Food Export Council (FEC) announced that Egypt’s food industry achieved strong export performance from January to August 2026, recording the highest export value for the first eight months of any year in the sector’s history. According to council data, Egyptian food industry exports rose to $5.128 billion during the first eight months of 2026, compared with $4.629 billion during the same period in 2025.
The sector thus recorded 10.8% growth, an increase of more than $499 million, reflecting the growing competitiveness of Egyptian food products in global markets. The FEC said the performance reflected the continued expansion of the competitiveness of Egyptian food products and the success of exporting companies in expanding into foreign markets, supported by a diversified production base and higher added value for many products, as well as efforts by the Food Export Council, in cooperation with relevant authorities, to support exports and facilitate access to overseas markets.
The results also showed that export growth was driven by an expansion in the number of markets and products, rather than reliance on a limited number of destinations. A total of 110 markets increased their imports of Egyptian food products, while 2,731 active exporting companies shipped their products to 179 markets worldwide.
By period, exports totaled $1.769 billion in the first quarter of 2026, compared with $1.641 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2025, representing 7.8% growth and an increase of $128 million. Second-quarter exports rose to about $2.050 billion, compared with $1.773 billion in the same quarter of 2025, marking 15.6% growth and an increase of about $276 million.
July added $681 million in exports, up 8.9%, while August recorded about $628 million, up 6.7%, extending cumulative export growth for the eighth consecutive month. The second quarter accounted for about 55% of the total increase recorded during the period, compared with around 26% for the first quarter, while July and August together contributed about 19% of the total increase, reflecting continued positive export performance and companies’ success in diversifying their overseas markets.
By geographical grouping, Arab countries remained the leading destinations for Egyptian food industry exports from January to August 2026, receiving products worth about $2.419 billion, compared with $2.222 billion during the corresponding period of 2025. This represented an increase of about $197 million, or 8.9% growth, and accounted for around 47% of total food industry exports.
The European Union ranked second, with exports totaling about $1.124 billion, compared with $968 million during the same period last year. This represented the highest relative growth rate among the major international groups, at 16%, with an increase of about $155 million, raising the EU’s share to around 22% of total sector exports.
Egyptian food industry exports to the United States rose to about $334 million, compared with $306 million during the corresponding period of 2025, an increase of about $27 million, or 8.9%, accounting for around 7% of total sector exports.