Future of Egypt resumes rice exports, hikes fees
The Future of Egypt Authority for Sustainable Development (Mostaqbal Misr) plans to resume rice exports following a one-month hiatus caused by regional shipping disruptions, two traders told Al Manassa. The agency raised export fees from $100 to $120 per ton, coinciding with a domestic white rice price hike of about 500 Egyptian pounds ($9.40) per ton.
In the month from mid-August, export requests submitted by local companies reached about 100,000 tons of rice, but the authority managed to ship only 25,000 tons due to maritime bottlenecks amid escalating regional tensions.
A trader and member of the Federation of Industries’ rice division said external markets continue to show steady demand for Egyptian rice, particularly Morocco, Syria and other Arab countries, offering local companies an opportunity to expand outbound shipments in the coming period.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his company is preparing a shipment of roughly 2,000 tons of rice for export through Future of Egypt, paying a fee of $120 per ton.
Egypt is seeking to export part of its domestic surplus, estimated at around 900,000 tons annually, through Future of Egypt after Minister of Investment and External Trade Mohamed Farid Saleh approved extending the export window via the authority until late next year.
The source noted that renewed demand from Arab and international markets allows Egyptian companies to bolster their footprint abroad and offload excess domestic inventory.
He added that sustained demand and streamlined export procedures remain essential to restoring momentum disrupted by regional tensions and to opening new export markets for Egyptian rice.
Egypt’s rice cultivation season begins in May, with harvesting running from August through late October. Mills begin releasing the new crop onto the market in November.
Mostafa Al-Saltisi, a trader and former deputy head of the rice division at the Federation of Industries, said rice export fees have fluctuated since the trade reopened to private companies, starting at $150 per ton, dropping to $100 last month, and climbing back to $120.
Al-Saltisi added that white rice prices rose by about 500 pounds ($9.40) per ton, to range between 19,000 and 24,500 pounds ($360 to $460). Meanwhile, thin-grain paddy rice climbed to 13,700 pounds (about $260) per ton from 13,000 pounds (roughly $245) last week, driven by higher demand.
By contrast, broad-grain paddy rice held steady at 15,000 pounds (about $280) per ton, Al-Saltisi said.
Granting the agency export authority marks a reversal in official policy. The government had banned rice exports since 2016 under Trade and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 722/2016 to conserve scarce water resources amid tensions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and threats to Egypt’s water quota, a measure renewed by the cabinet and the Customs Authority in February 2025.