Egypt to reach sugar self-suffiecency by early 2026: Cabinet

CAIRO – 26 June 2025: Egypt is on track to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar by early 2026, driven by a significant expansion in sugar crop cultivation and increased production capacity, according to the Cabinet’s Media Center.

The cultivated area of sugar beets rose by 25% in the 2024/25 season, reaching 750,000 feddans—up from 600,000 feddans in 2023/24. This expansion is expected to boost sugar beet production to 2.5 million tons, compared to 1.5 million tons in the previous season.

On Thursday, the Cabinet shared a series of infographics across its official social media platforms, highlighting efforts to boost sugar production and strengthen related industries. According to the data, sugar production has steadily increased over the past decade, reaching 2.6 million tons in 2025—a record high for Egypt—up from 2.3 million tons in 2014. Output is projected to climb further to 2.9 million tons in 2026.

The country also recorded a 54.5% drop in raw sugar imports, which fell to $111.1 million from January to March 2025, down from $244.4 million during the same period in 2024.

The infographics noted that Egypt had reached 81% self-sufficiency in sugar as of March 2025 and is expected to completely eliminate the need for imports by early 2026. The current reserve of subsidized sugar is sufficient for the next 13 months.

The government also spotlighted key sugar production facilities, including eight beet sugar factories. Among them is the Canal Sugar Factory—one of the largest single-line sugar plants in the world—with an initial annual capacity of 350,000 tons and plans to increase to 750,000 tons by 2026. Other notable facilities include the Eastern Sugar Factory in New Salhia City, which produces 240,000 tons of white sugar annually, and the Delta Sugar Factory, which has expanded its beet processing capacity from 14,000 to 21,000 tons per day.

To boost sugarcane productivity, the government is establishing seedling production stations. These include the Wadi Al-Sa’ayda station, capable of producing around 160 million seedlings per spring and autumn, and the Kom Ombo station, with a capacity of 30 million seedlings per season.

In support of this expansion, the government has allocated EGP 16 billion in 2025 for sugarcane purchases and EGP 7 billion for industrial operations. For the 2025 season, indicative prices have been set at EGP 2,500 per ton of sugarcane and EGP 2,400 per ton of sugar beets (with a sweetness level of 16%).

Additional incentives include a bonus of EGP 200 per ton for early-stage beet supply. Sugarcane farmers will receive EGP 50 per ton for feddans yielding over 30 tons, and EGP 100 per ton for yields above 40 tons.