Egyptian Swiss Group Represents Egypt at “Global Grain Geneva 2025
Ahmed El-Sebai: Private Sector Share of Wheat Imports Rises to 57%
Geneva – The Leaders Egypt
The Egyptian Swiss Group for Pasta, Milling, and Concentrates represented Egypt at the Global Grain Geneva 2025 conference in Switzerland — one of the world’s largest and most influential international forums for the global grains, oilseeds, and supply-chain industries
During the event, Eng. Ahmed El-Sebai, General Manager of Egyptian Swiss Group, delivered a keynote address that shed light on the latest dynamics shaping Egypt’s wheat market in 2025
El-Sebai revealed that Egypt’s wheat imports reached 2 million tons in October 2025, marking the highest monthly level this year — a 28.7% increase compared to September. He emphasized that this performance underscores Egypt’s strong capacity to secure its strategic wheat needs despite ongoing global market volatility
Global Grain Geneva: A Global Benchmark Event
Organized annually by Fastmarkets, Global Grain Geneva is recognized as the leading global gathering for traders and stakeholders in the grains and oilseeds industry. It serves as a reference platform for market intelligence, trade trends, and supply-chain insights
El-Sebai noted that Egypt’s total wheat imports from January to October 2025 amounted to 10.87 million tons, averaging 1.09 million tons per month. This is lower than the 2024 monthly average of 1.22 million tons, suggesting that Egypt is on track to end 2025 with a 15–20% annual decline in total imports, driven by higher local production
Ukraine Surpasses Russia for the First Time
Highlighting a major shift in Egypt’s import map, El-Sebai explained that Russia’s share of Egypt’s wheat imports fell from 74% to 56% in 2025, while Ukraine’s share jumped from 13% to 31%
France also increased its contribution from 1.2% to 3.6%, whereas Romania’s declined from 6.6% to 4.6%
For the first time in several years, Ukrainian wheat shipments overtook Russian ones in September 2025, accounting for 48.5% of imports compared to Russia’s 47.4%. El-Sebai described this as a “turning point” in Egypt’s diversification of import sources.
Rising Domestic Production and Private Sector Leadership
El-Sebai underscored the strategic role of wheat in Egypt’s food security policy, noting the expansion of wheat cultivation and a rise in domestic output from 9 million tons in 2024 to 10 million tons in 2025. This growth, he said, has directly reduced import dependency and stabilized the local market
He added that Future of Egypt Company has become the government’s primary wheat-buying entity, while the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) continues some purchases to leverage port facilities and logistics advantages
Meanwhile, the private sector’s share of total wheat imports increased to 57% in 2025, up from 55.4% in 2024 — affirming its growing influence in Egypt’s milling, pasta, and food processing industries. “The private sector remains a primary engine transforming imported wheat into high-value products for domestic and export markets,” El-Sebai stated
Key Factors Behind Import Decline in 2025
El-Sebai attributed the decline in wheat imports to several key factors
A 1 million-ton increase in local wheat production compared to 2024
A robust strategic reserve, strengthened by record imports during 2024
Imported wheat trading below replacement cost, leading some mills to postpone purchases
A surge in Egyptian flour exports, reaching 1.1 million tons in 2024 versus 750,000 tons in 2023
A Structural Transformation Ahead
In conclusion, El-Sebai emphasized that Egypt’s wheat market is undergoing a “structural reshaping phase” characterized by
A rebalanced partnership between government and private players
Growing reliance on European and Eastern European wheat origins,
And sustained growth in flour exports
“These developments,” he noted, “are reinforcing the market’s resilience and enhancing its capacity to adapt to global price fluctuations