The Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS) in Kuwait held an online meeting with the Agricultural Export Council to explore ways to increase Egypt’s exports of fresh fruits and vegetables to the Kuwaiti market, as part of efforts to expand the country’s agricultural export footprint across Gulf markets.
During the meeting, Essam Brekaa, Counselor at ECS in Kuwait, underscored the importance of the Kuwaiti market as one of the key destinations for Egyptian products. He noted that Kuwait serves around five million consumers with high purchasing power and a strong preference for premium-quality goods.
Brekaa highlighted that Kuwait’s dependence on imports to meet its food needs, coupled with strong bilateral relations and a large Egyptian expatriate community, contributes to the rising demand for Egyptian food products – which are widely popular among Kuwaiti consumers.
He pointed out that most categories of Egyptian agricultural exports to Kuwait recorded notable increases in 2024, including citrus fruits, mangoes, guavas, pomegranates, strawberries, grapes, potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes – a growth trend that has continued through the first nine months of 2025.
Brekaa outlined several technical and procedural recommendations shared by the Commercial Office to ensure smooth exports and faster customs clearance. He stressed the importance of providing all required certificates, including pesticide residue testing, Hepatitis A virus checks, and phytosanitary or food safety certificates issued by the relevant Egyptian authorities.
He also emphasised the need for exporters to fully comply with Kuwait’s 2023 food import regulations to prevent shipment rejections, citing common issues such as discrepancies between certificates and shipping documents or using a single certificate for multiple shipments instead of one per shipment, as required by Kuwaiti authorities.
Coordination has already been made with the Agricultural Export Council to circulate these updated regulations among all member companies. Egyptian exporters were also encouraged to maintain direct contact with the Commercial Office in Kuwait for any technical or procedural inquiries.
Abdel Aziz El-Sherif, Head of the ECS, said that strict adherence to Kuwaiti import requirements and continued improvements in product quality and packaging will significantly enhance Egypt’s access to Gulf markets, particularly Kuwait.
He added that Egyptian agricultural exports to Kuwait reached about $87.6m in 2024, compared to $78.7m in 2023, marking an increase of 11.3%. He also noted that Egypt’s total exports to Kuwait rose to around $228m in 2025, up from $198.7m the previous year – an annual growth of 15%, reflecting the success of joint efforts between the ECS and export councils in strengthening the competitiveness of Egyptian products in Gulf markets.
