Strong decline in Egyptian rice exports due to Asian competition

Egyptian rice exports retreated to 128,000 tons between October 1998 and May of 1999 in comparison to 178,000 tons during the previous season.

An official source in the foreign trade sector affiliated to the Egyptian Economy Ministry told ArabicNews.com that this retreat is due to the competition with Chinese and Thai rice exports, especially as the price of Egyptian rice is considered high in comparison to that of China and Thailand.

The source also stated that the two countries are producing short-grain types, similar to the Egyptian product, which find markets in the Russian commonwealth and Eastern Europe due to the decrease in its production cost and due to which Egyptian exports retreated in the Ukraine, for instance, from 5,000 to 2,000 tons.