Egypt ramps up sugar production with SIIC development plans, expanded beet cultivation 

EGYPT – Egypt’s Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Sherif Farouk, has met with the Chairperson of the state-owned Sugar and Integrated Industries Company (SIIC) to review the company’s performance and discuss upcoming development strategies.  

The meeting was part of the ministry’s broader agenda to evaluate its affiliated companies and enhance the country’s food industries system. 

During the discussions, SIIC Chairperson Salah Fathy presented plans to upgrade and modernize the company’s sugar production facilities. The focus includes improving operational efficiency, enhancing product quality, and increasing overall production capacity to adequately supply both subsidized and free-market sugar.  

The initiative also aims to minimize waste and improve compliance with environmental and sustainability standards. 

Minister Farouk emphasized that advancing the food industry sector, particularly sugar manufacturing, is a government priority.  

“The development of food industry companies, led by the sugar company, is a top priority to support the local market’s needs for basic commodities and achieve a balance between local production and imports, which contributes to enhancing the state’s food security,” he said. 

Record Growth in Sugar Beet Cultivation 

Egypt has made notable progress toward achieving self-sufficiency in sugar. Recent data shows a 25% increase in sugar beet cultivation, with the area under cultivation expanding from 600,000 feddans in the 2023/2024 season to 750,000 feddans in 2024/2025.  

This expansion is expected to produce 2.5 million tons of sugar, up from 1.5 million tons the previous year. 

Projections indicate that Egypt’s sugar production will reach 2.6 million tons in 2025, compared with 2.3 million tons in 2014. Forecasts for 2026 suggest production could climb further to 2.9 million tons, signaling a path toward full self-sufficiency. 

The country’s import dependence has already declined significantly. Data revealed that raw sugar imports fell by 54.5% in the first quarter of 2025, dropping to US$111.1 million compared with US$244.4 million during the same period in 2024.  

Egypt’s self-sufficiency rate in sugar rose to 81% by March 2025, with expectations of eliminating the need for imports altogether by early 2026. 

Infrastructure development has also contributed to this progress. Egypt now operates eight large-scale sugar beet processing factories. Among these is Canal Sugar, the world’s largest single-line beet sugar facility, which currently produces 350,000 tons annually and plans to expand capacity to 750,000 tons by 2026.  

Additional plants include the El Sharqiya factory in New Salhiya City with a capacity of 240,000 tons, and the Delta Sugar facility, which recently increased its daily processing capacity from 14,000 to 21,000 tons of beet. 

To encourage cultivation, the government allocated EGP 16 billion in 2025 for sugarcane purchases and EGP 7 billion to support industrial operations. Reference prices were set at EGP 2,500 per ton for sugarcane and EGP 2,400 per ton for sugar beet at a sweetness level of 16%.  

Farmers will also benefit from bonuses, including EGP 200 per ton for early beet harvests and yield-based incentives for sugarcane farmers producing above 30 tons per feddan. 

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