Improved logistics, new varieties and market access are supporting further export growth, according to new report
Egyptian table grape exports are forecast to increase by around 3 per cent to 225,000 tonnes in 2026/27, supported by improved logistics, new varieties and compliance with importing countries’ phytosanitary requirements, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
The agency said Egypt’s May-August export season gave suppliers an advantage in serving the EU, UK and other markets while production from countries including Italy and Spain remained limited.
In its Fresh Deciduous Fruit Annual report for Egypt, FAS Cairo forecast table grape production at 1.82mn tonnes, up 1.1 per cent on 2025/26. It noted that this reflected a 600ha increase in harvested area and greater cultivation of high-quality varieties.
The agency also suggested that strong export prices were encouraging growers to expand production, particularly of early varieties such as Flame Seedless, Superior Seedless and Early Sweet, which are understood to sell well in Europe and the Middle East.
Egypt has become an increasingly competitive grape exporter over the past decade, it added, particularly to the EU and UK. Shipments to its ten leading markets apparently increased by around 30 per cent year on year during October-July 2025/26, driven largely by higher exports to the UK, Germany and Slovenia.
Growers have also apparently introduced more high-yielding varieties capable of withstanding overseas shipments, while modern packing and handling techniques and compliance with phytosanitary requirements have gone some way to improving the country’s competitiveness.
In logistics, meanwhile, improvements have followed the introduction of a more convenient cargo service that links Damietta with Trieste in Italy. According to FAS, the route enables grapes and other perishables to reach Europe in three days and is expected to support higher export volumes.
The agency also highlighted Egypt’s continued action against intellectual property violations, with the country’s Central Administration of Plant Quarantine using DNA testing and an improved export coding system to ensure growers cultivate licensed grape varieties.
