As Ramadan begins, Egyptians stock up on Yamish Ramadan, a combination of dates, dried fruits, and nuts. Yamish components are essential in traditional desserts such as kunafa, qatayef, and qamar el-din, as well as the popular Ramadan beverage khushaf.

Egypt is not a significant producer of nuts and depends on imports for its Yamish products. On the other hand, Egypt is a key producer and exporter of dates.

In this Factsheet, we will know more about Egypt’s foreign trade of Yamish supplies and explore the country’s key trade partners in 2024.

• ُIn the season of 2022/2023, Egypt’s production of nuts was limited to almonds with 2,306 tons and only 66 tons of pistachio. Hence, Egypt is totally dependent on imports of nuts. In 2024, the country imported coconuts and nuts worth $124 million. The key supplying markets for cashew and coconuts included Vietnam, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, while the key suppliers for other nuts included the USA, Bulgaria, and Türkiye.
• Egypt’s imports of Yamish also included dried fruits, such as apricot, plums, figs, and grapes. In 2024, dried apricot imports stood at $3 million, mainly from Türkiye. Prunes’ imports recorded $2.54 million coming mainly from Argentina and Spain.
• In 2024, Egypt imported dried figs worth $2.2 million from Türkiye and Syria. Moreover, the imports of raisins reached $0.8 million, supplied by Türkiye, the UAE, Syria, and Iran.
• Egypt imported some famous beverages, including qamar el-din and tamarind. The imports of the two products in 2024 hit $3.73 million, coming from Syria, and India.
• Egypt exports some of Yamish Ramdan products, including dates, raisins, peanuts, and hibiscus.
• Dates are often eaten as the first thing to Iftar in Ramadan. As the world’s largest producer of dates, Egypt’s production in season 2022/2023 reached 1.7 million tons.
• In 2024, Egypt’s exports of dates increased by 19.3% year-over-year (YoY) to $105.61 million. Morocco, Indonesia, and Türkiye were the top importing market of Egyptian dates.
• Notably, in 2024, Egypt exported peanuts, raisins, and hibiscus worth $51 million, $15 million, and $15 million, respectively.

By: Amina Hussein

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