Egypt's food exports to Jordan exceed $1B within 6 years

CAIRO – 31 March 2021: The total value of Egyptian food industries exports to Jordan during the period from (2014 to 2020) amounted to about $ 1.047 billion, Deputy Executive Director and Director of Export Information Department at the Export Council for Food Industries, Tamim Al-Dawi, said.

He added that the sector's exports to Jordan witnessed a 9 percent decline during 2020 to reach $ 169 million, compared to $ 186 million in 2019, indicating that the number of Egyptian food companies exporting to Jordan amounted to 355 companies, including 300 companies whose exports exceed $100,000.

This came during the electronic symposium organized by the Council today in cooperation with the Commercial Representation Authority under the title "Opportunities for developing food exports to Jordan."

Al-Dawi stated that Jordan ranks third in the list of the largest importers of Egyptian food industries, noting that there has been a development in the sector's exports to the Jordanian market during the past 7 years, as it recorded its highest values ​​during 2019, but it retreated as a result of the repercussions of Coronavirus.

Al-Dawi explained that 15 commodities account for about 84 percent of the total food industry exports to Jordan, with a value of $140 million during 2020, on top of which is "cheeses", about $41 million, acquired from 24 percent of the sector's total exports, followed by exports of "edible oils" by about $ 19 million, and "biscuits and cereal preparations", about $ 13 million.

Exports of "soup and broth" ranked fourth in terms of food commodities exported from Egypt to Jordan with a value of $8 million, followed by exports of "chocolate" with a value of $8 million, then exports of "processed potato chips" with a value of $7 million, and frozen vegetables with a value of $7 million, and exports of "manufactured tobacco and substitute tobacco" worth $ 7 million.

Egypt's exports of various food preparations to Jordan amounted to about $5 million during 2020, and from "yeasts" about $4 million, and from corn silage and animal food about $ 4 million, aromatic mixtures about $ 4 million, pickled olives and a factory about $ 3 million, and pickled and canned vegetables about $ 3 million.

He pointed out that there are food products in the structure of Jordan's imports that have an alternative in the structure of Egyptian exports with a value of $ 1.3 billion during 2019, noting that Jordan's imports of 14 food commodities represent 78 percent of the goods that have an alternative in the structure of food exports.

These commodities are represented in "various food preparations" worth $170 million, sugar worth $118 million, cheeses worth $112 million, dairy products worth $103 million, salt, biscuits and bakery products of $86 million.

Jordan's imports of chocolate amounted to about $ 77 million during 2019, and vegetable preparations about $ 67 million, and from sunflower seed oil about $ 55 million, and fish preparations about $ 47 million, and manufactures of coffee about $42 million, sugary confectionery about $41 million, dates and dried fruits about $33 million, soybean oil about $ 29 million, and pasta about $28 million.

Al-Dawi pointed out that Jordan's total imports from food industries in 2019 amounted to $ 1.9 billion, representing 10 percent of its total imports of goods, which amounted to $ 19.3 billion.