Egyptian soyabean imports in 2026/27 are forecast to rise to 5.2M tonnes – a 4% increase – due to higher feed demand from the poultry, livestock and aquaculture industries, according to a report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USA was expected to maintain its position as the country’s main soyabean supplier, the 23 March report said.
As the Middle East’s largest soyabean importer and consumer, Egypt relies heavily on imports, particularly for animal feed, according to the ‘Egypt - Oilseeds and Products Annual’.
Dairy, poultry, and fish producers were reliant on imports as domestic soyabean production was expected to cover less than 2% of demand in 2026/27, the report said.
Between 2020/21 and 2025/26, Egypt imported 20.8M tonnes of soyabeans, with main suppliers including: the USA (15M tonnes); Ukraine (2.57M tonnes); Brazil (1.22M tonnes) and other origins (2M tonnes).
In the same period, almost 72.2% of Egypt’s soyabean imports were shipped from the USA.
“US soyabeans are expected to maintain their dominant position in the Egyptian market, supported by competitive pricing, strong demand and the superior quality of both soyabean meal and oil produced from US soyabeans,” the USDA said.
According to industry sources, soyabean meal produced from US soyabeans was more uniform, contained less fibre and had a higher protein content compared to meal from other sources, the USDA said.
Egypt’s soyabean production in 2026/27 was expected to remain unchanged from the previous year at 85,000 tonnes.
“Persistent challenges – such as high production costs, higher temperatures during the planting season and preference by farmers to plant other crops - continue to restrict growth in production,” the USDA said.
Harvested area was also expected to remain unchanged from the previous year.
Soyabeans are typically grown from May to August, mainly in middle and upper Egypt, according to the report.
