Egypt to achieve sugar self-sufficiency by 2026: Cabinet
Egypt has expanded sugar beet cultivation by 25%, from 600,000 to 750,000 feddans for the 2024/25 season, aiming to boost sugar output. Production is expected to reach 2.9 million tons by 2026, up from 2.6 million in 2025. This surge has cut sugar imports by 54.5% and could bring Egypt to full self-sufficiency by 2026.
This comes as the country expands sugar crop cultivation and makes significant investments in related industries.
According to the cabinet, the area dedicated to sugar beet cultivation, to produce sugar, was expanded by 25 percent from 600,000 feddans in the 2023/2024 season to 750,000 feddans in the 2024/2025 season.
The media centre stated that this expansion is projected to yield 2.5 million tons of sugar beets, compared to 1.5 million tons in 2024.
It also noted that sugar production reached 2.6 million tons for the first time in Egypt in 2025, compared to 2.3 million tons in 2014.
The cabinet forecasted an even higher production of 2.9 million tons by 2026.
The production surge has resulted in a 54.5 percent decrease in imports to $111.1 million between January and March 2025, a significant drop from $244.4 million during the same period in 2024.
Therefore, the government predicted 81 percent self-sufficiency in sugar by March 2025, with the ambitious goal of eliminating the need for imports by 2026.
The centre also revealed that the current stock of subsidised sugar — distributed to citizens via ration cards at lower prices — is sufficient for 13 months.
The increase in sugar beet production is part of a broader plan to expand agricultural cultivation to minimize reliance on imports.
In 2023, the prices of some essential commodities, including sugar, rose in Egypt. Consequently, the country imposed a ban on sugar exports until prices re-stabilized.
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Source : Ahram Online
