Egypt’s history and economy have always centered around the Nile’s fresh water and fertile mud. In 2024, the country was the world’s largest exporter of oranges and fresh strawberries. 

It was the third-largest global exporter of dried onions, fifth for potatoes, and seventh for fresh onions, frozen strawberries, and garlic, according to World’s Top Exports, a data aggregator. It was also the top exporter of mangoes in the Arab world and second in Africa. Other noteworthy exports include pomegranates and sweet potatoes. 

In fiscal year (FY) 2023/2024, the value of exported agricultural products accounted for 14% of Egypt’s total non-oil exports, Investment Minister Hassan El Khatib told the media in September 2024. According to data aggregator Trading Economics, by the end of calendar year 2024, revenue from exported “edible” goods nearly matched that from mineral fuels, oils, and distillation products.

The government aims to further boost cultivation and improve its quality to increase exports and reduce Egypt’s 40% dependency on imported edibles, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Better agriculture, irrigation 

In August, the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation (MPED) published plans to expand agriculture and irrigation in FY 2025/2026. The headline figure is the government’s target of EGP 145 billion ($3 billion) in new investments in those two sectors. 

The private sector would implement nearly 88% of those projects, with the rest government-led, MPED said. Achieving those targets should increase the value of “agricultural output” by over 12% to reach EGP 3.7 trillion this fiscal year. 

For irrigation, the FY 2025/2026 plan promises “continuing expansion of agricultural reclamation programs in the Toshka, North and Central Sinai, and New Delta lands, [as well as] improving crop yield per feddan by 10% to 15%.”

Accordingly, MPED’s plan prioritizes “increasing the efficiency of land and water use through the cultivation of high-yield, early-maturing, and low-water-consuming crops.” 

In infrastructure, the plan mentions “developing and modernizing field irrigation systems to benefit 18% of the total area.” It also pledges “improving agricultural drainage methods and expanding the application of modern agricultural practices, such as drip and pivot irrigation, expanding greenhouse projects and protected agriculture systems, [and] reducing agricultural waste.”

Also this fiscal year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) announced it will continue its Agriculture Extension System, which helps farmers grow crops more effectively and sustainably by providing training, tools and other resources.

The MALR will also expand crops included in the Contract Farming System, where the government locks in farmers to sell at preset prices. The ministry will continue to oversee seed imports to ensure there is no local alternative and that those foreign seeds meet local standards and are compatible with the Egyptian agricultural environment, the MPED plan said.

Lastly, the MALR will further diversify its foreign suppliers and strains of corn and wheat, and increase silo capacity to 5.5 million tons from 4.62 million tons in FY 2024/2025. 

Water infrastructure

Also in FY 2025/2026, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) plans to rehabilitate and line 600 kilometers (373 miles of freshwater canals to reduce seepage and evaporation. It will also “continue efforts to rehabilitate drains, including Jabal al-Akhdar, Belbeis, Qalyubia, and Bahr al-Baqar, and their associated structures.” 

Additionally, the MWRI plans to build and replace covered agricultural drainage networks serving 60,000 feddans along the Nile, as well as construct and replace approximately 35 structures on drains, including bridges and culverts.

The ministry will partner with farmers to transition to modern irrigation systems, upgrade national pumping stations, and build dams, artificial lakes, and reservoirs. One of the biggest projects is “completing construction of the New Deirout Barrage to improve irrigation for 1.6 million feddans in five governorates in Upper Egypt.” The MWRI will also “construct, replace, and renovate about 616 barrages.” 

The MWRI will build “other structures (inlets, bridges, weirs, etc.), construct 85 dams, artificial lakes, and underground reservoirs.” It will complete the Toshka spillway and the 57-kilometer-long Thomas and Afiya feeder canal in Toshka, and improve water quality in the Kitchener Drain, which runs through Dakahlia, Gharbia, and Kafr El-Sheikh governorates, ending in the Mediterranean Sea.

Goal: Export more

According to the State Information Service (SIS), agricultural exports last year grew by 13.1% compared to 2023. So far this year, the growth pace is dropping. During the first half of 2025, food export growth rose 6.1% compared to a year earlier, according to the SIS. That is less than the 6.5% growth rate recorded in the first half of 2024 versus 2023. 

That trend should reverse in the coming two years as Hani Berzi, chairman of the Food Export Council, told local media the council is working to increase agricultural exports by 28.3% by 2027. 

In August, Abdul Hameed Damirdash, chairman of Egypt’s Agriculture Export Council (AEC), told Arabian-Gulf Business Insights the council plans to increase exports by 10% to 12% annually through 2030. In addition, it is working to open 24 new markets for Egypt’s agricultural products in Asia and South America. 

Quality push

Ensuring quality compliance of locally grown produce to compete abroad is the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA), established in 2017. It “replaces and merges the functions of mandates of 17 government agencies across multiple ministries,” according to its blurb. It launched its first multi-year strategy in 2023, running until 2026. 

As of January, Tarek El-Houby, NFSA Head, said the authority had outlined quality requirements and controls for technical inspection lists for each sector. It also has “specialized inspection lists” at filling stations to further improve effectiveness. 

Currently, NFSA operates food safety testing labs in all governorates and at all air, sea, and land ports to ensure quality compliance of imported and exported agricultural goods. The authority also allows private-sector food testing labs to offer NFSA certifications.

El-Houby highlighted work on a “preliminary version of a mechanism for creating and reviewing the mandatory technical regulations it issues, ensuring increased participation from the private sector and transparency throughout the process.”

The NFSA also holds awareness campaigns for the public and companies. El-Houby cited “simplified procedures for food facility operators … such as reducing inspection rates and monitoring activities, while publishing required procedures, controls, and documents, and making them available through the authority’s official website.”

The authority is cooperating with international agencies as part of its 2023-2026 strategy to “enhance Egypt’s leading role as a producer of food and agricultural products and to support confidence in national products,” El-Houby said.

Notably, a food monitoring system assessment tool has been developed by the FAO and the World Health Organization, and is being implemented in select member states of the African Union. 

Better environment

Local agricultural producers face a significant challenge: the lack of space to grow crops. “The main issue the company is facing in its agriculture operation is the ongoing challenge to find arable land,” says Seif ElSadek of Agrocorp for Agriculture, which exports 90% of its canned food. “The rent options are always [low quality].”

This shortage raises production costs and creates uncertainty about growth. ElSadek believes the government “should prioritize allocating land to factories and companies that are exporting, adding value to fresh products, and opening new markets.”

Meanwhile, the NFSA is attempting to boost local competitiveness abroad. In December, they partnered with Fixed Egypt for Digital Solutions to “develop and automate the food production and trade monitoring system in the local market,” the press release said. 

It stressed that the agreement would “enable all beneficiaries to stay informed about updated local, regional, and global food safety standards and regulations to enhance compliance and adherence to safety procedures.”