Egypt is moving steadily towards achieving full self-sufficiency in sugar by 2026, according to a set of updates released by the cabinet’s media center. This follows the country’s efforts to expand sugar crop cultivation and invest in the sugar industry, reports Ahramonline.
The government has increased the area used for sugar beet cultivation by 25%, from 600,000 feddans in the 2023/2024 season to 750,000 feddans for 2024/2025. This expansion is expected to boost sugar beet output to 2.5 million tons, up from 1.5 million tons in 2024.
Sugar production in Egypt reached a record high of 2.6 million tons in 2025, compared to 2.3 million tons in 2014. The cabinet expects production to climb further to 2.9 million tons by 2026.
As domestic production rises, sugar imports have dropped sharply. Between January and March 2025, sugar imports decreased by 54.5%, falling from $244.4 million in the same period of 2024 to $111.1 million.
This progress has led the government to project that Egypt will reach 81% self-sufficiency in sugar by March 2025, with a complete end to sugar imports expected by the following year.
The media centre also stated that the stock of subsidised sugar—provided to citizens at lower prices through ration cards—is currently enough to last 13 months.
The increase in sugar beet cultivation is part of a larger national plan to boost agricultural production and reduce dependence on imported goods.
In 2023, Egypt experienced rising prices for several basic goods, including sugar. To stabilize the domestic market, the government temporarily banned sugar exports until prices eased.
