Egypt to increase sunflower oil imports

FAS/Cairo (Post) forecasts Egypt’s soybean imports in 2025/26 to increase by 5.0 percent compared to the previous marketing year, driven by a flexible exchange rate, foreign exchange availability, and a more positive outlook for the livestock sector.

US soybean exports to Egypt accounted for nearly 70.0 percent of Egypt’s total bean exports over the past five marketing years. US soybeans are likely to continue to lead the Egyptian soybean market over the forecast period due to increased demand for high-quality meals in feed rations and high-quality soybean oil.

Total use of oilseed meals in feed is also projected to be level, driven by end-use demand. Higher levels of sunflower oil consumption and trade in the forecast and current marketing years are mainly due to a lack of local production and higher consumption.

FAS/Cairo forecasts Egypt’s consumption of soybean, sunflower and palm oil for food products at 2.49 million tonnes in MY 2025/26, up 2.9 percent from 2.43 million tonnes in the previous marketing year.

Both soybean and sunflower oils are forecast to experience growth in consumption volumes over the forecast period, driven by population growth, higher demand and lower inflation. The move to a flexible exchange rate system helps the Egyptian economy adjust more smoothly to external shocks and support imports of raw materials needed by the oil processing sector.

Tags: imports, sunflower oil, Egypt, soybean