EGYPT – Egypt is set to resume poultry exports after a 14-year hiatus following a long suspension caused by the avian flu crisis in 2006.
According to reports by Arab News, the resumption of poultry exports will require the approval of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which has to list Egypt among the countries with avian influenza free establishments.
The Head of the Poultry Division of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce Abdul Aziz Al-Sayed revealed that a number of Egyptian poultry companies are preparing to export their first shipments to the Saudi market in October.
Other than Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates said that it would allow imports of table egg from Egypt, as well as chilled and frozen poultry, after the country adopts a veterinary health certificate.
The UAE will also import ducks and live quails, provided that Egypt gives a full list of its poultry farms and facilities.
Poultry investments in Egyptian market are worth about 90 billion Egyptian pounds (US$5.7 billion).
Nabil Darwish, head of the Egyptian Poultry Producers Association, said that contact was made between the General Authority for Veterinary Services and its counterpart in the UAE and that the two parties agreed on a UAE visit to poultry farms in Egypt in preparation for the start of exports.
In his opinion, the resume of the exports will not have an impact on prices in the domestic market.
The companies so far allowed to export the poultry products are 14 including Ismailia Misr Poultry, Alwatania Poultry and Al-Sabeel Poultry.
Poultry investments in Egyptian market are worth about 90 billion Egyptian pounds (US$5.7 billion), while there are over 55,000 poultry establishments in the country, employing 2.5 million workers.
Meanwhile, Egypt has approved 42 new Brazilian processors to export meat to its market, including 15 beef slaughterhouses and 27 poultry plants.
According to a recent report by Food Agricultural Service Cairo (FAS Cairo), Egypt’s calf crop production for the market year 2021 is forecasted to be 1.94 million heads.
Total supply during the year under review is forecast at 9.99 million animals, increasing by 125,000 head or slightly over one percent above USDA’s official MY 2020 figure of 9.86 million.
In terms of trade FAS Cairo forecasts Egypt’s live cattle imports in MY 2021 at 200,000 head, 80,000 animals less, or 29 percent lower, than the USDA’s official MY 2020 figure of 280,000 head.
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