Agricultural commodities exports hit $284M: CAPMAS

CAIRO- 2 AUGUST 2017: Agricultural commodity exports reached $284.9 million, or 12 percent of the total exports volume worth $2.28 billion in May, while imports in the same sector recorded $561.3, or 12.2 percent of the total imports volume worth $4.60 billion in the same month, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced on Tuesday.

The exports list, based on the CAPMAS bulletin, includes fresh oranges, potatoes, grapes, frozen and fresh onions, peaches, strawberries, cotton, frozen and fresh garlic, and flour, while the imports list includes flour, yellow corn, black tea, cotton, soybeans, sunflower seeds, cotton, apples, and non-roast coffee.

According to CAPMAS, strawberry exports reached 8,329 tons in May 2017, while they had reached 5,678 tons in May 2016, an increase rate of 46.7 percent. Potato exports reached 49,553 tons in 2017, while they were at 22,080 tons in 2016, an increase rate of 124 percent. Flour exports recorded 5,391 tons in 2017, while they were 8,787 tons in 2016, a decrease rate of 38.6 percent.

For imports, yellow corn imports reached 129,054 tons versus 145,369 tons in 2016, a decrease rate of 11.12 percent. Black tea recorded 24,894 tons in 2017 versus 28,758 tons in 2016, a decrease rate of 14.3 percent. Apple exports reached 12,755 tons in 2017 versus 22,236 tons in 2016, a decrease rate of 12.6%.

On March 3, the Agriculture Export Council issued a report showing that Egypt’s exports recorded 3.5 million tons in the last export season, worth $2.1 billion up to $4.8 billion when adding the agro-industry value.