As part of the state’s efforts to boost exports and enhance trade relations with Iraq, the Egyptian Swiss Group for Pasta, Milling, and Concentrates is participating in the Egyptian trade mission for food industry producers to Iraq and will also take part in the Baghdad International Fair.
Participation in Baghdad International Fair
The trade mission, organized by the Egyptian Export Council for Food Industries, aims to facilitate bilateral meetings between Egyptian companies and major Iraqi producers and importers in the food sector.
Engineer Ahmed Al-Sebaie, General Manager of the Egyptian Swiss Group, emphasized that the group will also participate in the Baghdad International Fair after concluding bilateral meetings with key Iraqi importers.
Al-Sebaie pointed out that this participation aligns with the group’s efforts to expand into the Iraqi market, which is considered a promising destination for Egyptian products, especially food items. He also expressed the group’s intent to secure new export contracts to Iraq, aiming to rebuild the relationships it had established previously. Notably, the Egyptian Swiss Group successfully exported tomato paste to the Iraqi government two years ago and is eager to renew those contracts.
Strengthening Trade Relations Between Egypt and Iraq
Al-Sebaie further stressed the group’s goal of restoring trade relations between Egypt and Iraq to their previous levels, with the ambition of increasing bilateral trade volume. In the past year, Egypt’s food industry exports to Iraq reached approximately $175 million, compared to $133 million in 2022, reflecting a 30% growth.
Key Exported Goods to Iraq
The Iraqi market ranked as the ninth most significant destination for Egyptian processed food exports in 2023. Among the top exported products to Iraq were aromatic mixtures and concentrates for soft drink production, manufactured tobacco and its alternatives, grain-based preparations and biscuits, fats and oils, along with other products such as pickled and processed olives, dairy products, frozen vegetables, chocolate, sugar and glucose, tomato paste, and pasta.
Bilateral Meetings and Baghdad International Fair
Bilateral meetings between Egyptian and Iraqi companies are scheduled to take place on September 29-30, while the Baghdad International Fair will be held from October 1-3. These engagements aim to strengthen commercial cooperation and open new opportunities for Egyptian products in the Iraqi market.
Participation in Dubai’s Manufacturing Fair
In a related development, the Egyptian Swiss Group also participated in the Private Label Middle East exhibition in Dubai from September 24-26. Al-Sebaie described the participation as a success, leading to the expansion of the group’s client base and penetration into new markets.
He further noted that the group has significantly increased its export volume in recent years, with exports now accounting for 70% of total production, compared to just 30% three years ago.
Egyptian Swiss Group’s Global Expansion
Al-Sebaie highlighted that the group’s products are currently available in numerous international markets, including African nations and Arab countries, where the group has recently seen substantial expansion. Additionally, the group entered new markets in Latin America, the Eurasian Union, and East Asia during the current year. As a result, the group now exports to 40 countries worldwide.
The History of the Egyptian Swiss Group
Founded in 1995, the Egyptian Swiss Group initially focused on flour trading following the liberalization of flour prices. The group later expanded into manufacturing, establishing flour mills in Assiut and Borg El-Arab and distributing flour in the local market.
In 2005, the group opened a pasta factory in the 10th of Ramadan City with a monthly production capacity of 7,500 tons. The group also launched a tomato paste factory with a monthly output of 3,500 tons. Subsequently, the group added a large-scale mill with two production lines, bringing the daily production capacity to 1,500 tons, alongside wheat silos with a storage capacity of 50,000 tons.
Future Vision for Export Growth
Concluding his remarks, Al-Sebaie emphasized that these robust international participations are part of the group’s strategic plan to increase exports and maintain the successes achieved in recent years.
