A sticky Ramadan staple gives Egypt’s economy an export boost

Sticky dates from palm trees aren’t just a popular way for Egyptians to break February’s Ramadan fast – they’re an unexpected tool in the country’s bid for an export-backed economic revival.

With the global market for the gooey brown superfood topping US$29 billion (S$36.6 billion), according to Mordor Intelligence, the North African nation that’s the world’s largest date-grower is poised to capitalise on the opportunities.

Egypt notched up US$105 million from date exports in 2024, about 20 per cent up on the previous year and more than double the revenue a decade before, according to government data.

Supporting the surge are a tree-planting spree, investment in infrastructure and Earth’s largest date-palm plantation.

That’s good news for Egypt as it emerges from a two-year economic crisis and attempts to put a ramping up of industrial and agricultural exports at the heart of its resurgence.

The authorities are looking to avoid any repeat of a chronic foreign-currency crunch that saw the country’s partners pledge a US$57 billion bailout in early 2024.

Date consumption surges in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began Feb 19 in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation. While the vast majority of that crop is bought locally, exports are assuming greater prominence. 

Egypt produced about 2 million tonnes of dates in 2025 and shipped some 88,000 tonnes, according to officials. That makes it the world’s eighth-largest exporter, with Saudi Arabia and Iran in the lead, data compiled by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) show.

Egypt counts Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey among its major buyers.

Hard-currency source

“We should be a top date-exporting country,” Egyptian Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk said in February at a pre-Ramadan exhibition. “It’s a very important source of hard currency and that’s why the state is invested in expanding the crop and the industry.”

There are plenty more markets to conquer. According to the FAO, the world produces about 10 million tonnes of dates annually – up from 5.4 million in 2000 – partly helped by their status as a nutritious and energy-enhancing superfood.

Both Egypt’s new approach and changing global appetites are clear to local producers and exporters such as Mr Ali Hassan Ali, head of development at Al Tahhan Dates.

A few decades ago, “we lacked a vision unifying us as producers of dates – farms were in the middle of nowhere with no or little capacity to package or transport the dates across the country, let alone abroad”, he said.

“Now we take part in international exhibitions and export everything from date syrup to Europeans to chilli paste to Mexicans.”

Government spending on industrial complexes and cold-storage units has helped producers with post-harvest steps, including sorting, packaging and quality control, Mr Ali said.

Meanwhile, the farm on reclaimed desert land in Toshka, near the Sudanese border – which garnered the Guinness World Record for its size – is injecting more impetus.

After a first phase was opened in late 2021, the plantation now covers 15400ha with 1.6 million fruit-bearing trees, according to the Agriculture Ministry. Its produce includes varieties such as Medjool dates that fetch higher prices overseas.

The broader export push is already paying off. Fresh and processed agricultural shipments hit a record US$11.5 billion in 2025, according to ministry data, making up a quarter of Egypt’s total exports.

Other major produce sent abroad include strawberries and citrus fruit. BLOOMBERG