Egypt Daily News – In a recent report by the Public Mobilization and Statistics Authority (CAMPAS), it was revealed that Egypt’s imports of raw or unprocessed tobacco have surged dramatically, rising by 2,713% to reach $19.7 million in the first five months of 2024, compared to just $701,000 during the same period in the previous year. This represents a staggering increase of $19.018 million.
Additionally, imports of tobacco and smoking paper also saw a significant increase, doubling to approximately $43.7 million in the first five months of 2024, up from $21.9 million during the corresponding period in 2023, marking an increase of $21.7 million, or 99.5%.
In a broader context, Egypt allocated $8.5 billion to secure its imports of agricultural and food goods during the same period. Wheat imports were a major component, amounting to $1.9 billion, which reflects a 35% increase compared to $1.4 billion during the first five months of 2023. Sunflower seed oil imports also rose significantly to $356.8 million, up from $198.8 million, representing a 79.5% increase.
However, it’s important to note that Egypt’s overall imports showed a slight decline, totaling approximately $34.3 billion from January to May 2024, down from $34.5 billion in the same period the previous year, marking a decrease of $144.4 million.
