Sugar prices in Egypt have increased across several retail outlets in Cairo and Giza, even as the Supply Ministry continues to deny any rise in prices, Al Manassa reported.
A field tour conducted by Al Manassa surveying 10 outlets found that both state-run and private retailers had raised sugar prices to about 32 Egyptian pounds per kilogram, up from a peak of 28 pounds last month.
At the start of the month, sugar prices climbed by roughly 2,000 pounds per ton, pushing the final consumer price to between 26,000 and 28,000 pounds per ton.
The increase follows a government decision in January allowing sugar exports for the first time in nearly three years, a move the Supply Ministry maintains has not affected domestic prices.
Hassan Elfendi, head of the Sugar Division at the Federation of Egyptian Industries, said the decision to resume exports was intended to absorb a domestic surplus nearing 1 million tons, which had driven prices down and caused noticeable losses for manufacturers.
Al ManassaтАЩs visit to consumer outlets affiliated with the Supply Ministry recorded prices at around 28 pounds per kilogram, while тАЬAmanтАЭ outlets operated by the Interior Ministry were selling sugar at about 30 pounds per kilogram. Prices at armed forces-affiliated Mostaqbal Misr outlets remained steady at 27 pounds per kilogram.
Among five traders and private shops surveyed, prices ranged between 29 and 32 pounds per kilogram depending on location. Shop owners attributed the rise to higher wholesale prices, which they said had increased by between 2,000 and 4,000 pounds per ton.
In a statement, Salah Fathy, managing director and CEO of the Sugar and Integrated Industries Company, affiliated with the Holding Company for Food Industries, said sugar prices had not increased. He noted that the factory gate price remains between 22,000 and 23,000 pounds per ton under existing pricing mechanisms, with no new hikes approved.
However, shop owners disputed the claim, stating that wholesale prices had risen to between 27 and 29 pounds per kilogram from 24 to 26 pounds before the government permitted exports.
The sugar export ban had been scheduled to remain in place until next March, according to an October decision by Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Hassan El-Khatib extending the restriction for six months. First introduced in 2023, the ban applies to all types of sugar except quantities deemed surplus to domestic needs by the Supply Ministry and approved for export by the trade ministry.
Egypt consumes about 3.2 million tons of sugar annually, and trader prices have been climbing since 2024 amid challenges in importing enough supply to cover the gap in domestic production.
