Egypt Edition 
UAE Edition 
Saudi Edition 
MENA <> India Corridor 
Logistics (MENA) 
Climate (MENA) 
Share
Private companies accounted for 72% of Egypt’s wheat imports in 1Q 2025, while the government secured the remaining 28%, according to data from the General Organization for Export and Import Control seen by EnterpriseAM. The private sector imported around 2.0 mn tons during the quarter, up from 1.2 mn tons in the same period last year, while the government’s wheat imports fell over 61% y-o-y to reach around 800k tons. The Madbouly government’s wheat imports in 1Q 2025 marked the lowest quarterly level on record, a government source told EnterpriseAM.
The full picture: Total wheat imports for the quarter stood at 2.8 mn tons, down 11.3% y-o-y. However, the figure remains slightly above the five-year quarterly average of 2.7 mn tons.
Regional instability is creating fresh demand for flour exports from Egypt, and the local market is responding by bringing in more wheat to produce flour, Egyptian Swiss Group General Manager Ahmed Elsebaie told EnterpriseAM. He added that more orders are expected to come in during the coming months. A local flour exporter similarly attributed the surge in private sector wheat imports to an improved export window for flour amid rising conflict in nearby markets such as Palestine and Sudan, in comments to EnterpriseAM.
Egypt’s flour exports are expected to rise 30% y-o-y to 1.7 mn tons by the end of 2025, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture report seen by EnterpriseAM. Exports doubled y-o-y in 2024, with most of Egypt’s flour exports going to African markets, with Sudan alone accounting for around 60% of annual contracts, followed by Eritrea, Somalia, Yemen, and Djibouti. Flour exports have grown more than 11x over the past decade, reaching 1.3 mn tons in 2024 and bringing in USD 450 mn, according to data from the Food Export Council.
Egypt’s improved FX position and relatively stable global wheat prices have encouraged private sector players to increase their purchases and build reserves, wheat and vegetable oils supplier Egyptian Australian Company Managing Director Ali Ramadan said. The instability in the region is impacting businesses, so companies are hedging against any future shocks like the 2023 wheat shortage that resulted in the emergence of a black market, he added.
