Egypt is in talks with Moroccan authorities to release Egyptian exports held up at ports

Egypt sent a high-level delegation to Rabat earlier this week to negotiate lifting recent restrictions that resulted in Egyptian exports piling in Moroccan ports for weeks, a government source told EnterpriseAM. Ongoing talks between the delegation — representatives from the finance, industry, and investment ministries — and Moroccan officials show signs of a breakthrough, with Morocco releasing shipments of Egyptian dates.

What’s happening? Nearly 150 containers loaded with ceramics, food products, and insulation materials are stuck at the ports for two weeks. Morocco’s measure is intended to rebalance the two countries' trade relationship, which currently shows a trade surplus in Egypt's favor, said Ahmed Zaki, secretary-general of the Exporters Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce.

An attempt to strengthen Morocco’s car exports? Zaki noted that weak demand in Egypt for Moroccan cars — Egypt’s top import from the country, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity — is also behind the blockage. Meanwhile, our source shot down the claim. “No Moroccan cars are held up in Egypt’s ports,” the source said, adding that banks are meeting importers’ needs for USD.

This isn’t the first time Morocco has imposed barriers on Egyptian exports: Morocco halted the release of Egyptian air conditioners from its ports three years ago due to local component percentage issues, Zaki said. Morocco also charges a 35% anti-dumping duty on Egyptian carpets, a fee that was introduced in 2022 to protect Moroccan producers from what was perceived as unfair competition.

Proceeding with caution: In response to the blockage, Egypt’s General Organization for Export and Import Control has suspended the examination of new shipments destined for Morocco until further notice, according to an official decision seen by EnterpriseAM.

Egyptian-Morocan trade at a glance: Trade between the two nations jumped 27% during the first 11 months of 2024, reaching around USD 973 mn, according to Capmas data seen by EnterpriseAM. Egyptian imports from Morocco almost doubled during the period, soaring 92% y-o-y to USD 42.1 mn during the 11-month period. Meanwhile, Egyptian exports to Morocco rose 20.6%, hitting USD 898 mn over the same period.