Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade General Organization for Export and Import Control

Eng. / Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of the General organization for Export and Import Control, reveals a project to develop GOEIC’s foreign trade databases and expand the network of laboratories to contribute to increasing Egyptian exports.

He explained that he was implementing a new project in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Communication to develop GOEIC’s database, with the aim of providing an advanced database that serves companies and the concerned bodies in Egypt.

He also added during his participation in a discussion session entitled “The Path to Achieving Export Targets for Food Industries” At the first conference for food industry exporters, organized by the Food Industries Export Council, GOEIC currently has more than 3,000 accredited tests, in addition to the presence of 5 accredited laboratories to analyze pesticide residues, with the aim of facilitating procedures for companies and supporting Egyptian exports in foreign markets.

Pointing to the government’s directives to establish new laboratories in ports that lack these services, with the aim of enhancing the presence of services in the largest possible number of ports

Eng. / Essam Al-Naggar announced that the GOEIC is in the process of establishing 10 new laboratories to analyze industrial goods, including 7 laboratories in the port of Sokhna, 2 in Cairo, and one laboratory in the port of Dekheila.

There were 136 industrial goods analysis laboratories distributed across the country, including 38 laboratories in Cairo, 12 in Alexandria, 22 in Dekheila Port, 14 in Port Said, 14 in Damietta, 12 in East Port Said, 22 in Ain Sokhna, and two laboratories in Adabiya.

It is worth noting the recommendations that were reached during the conference, which aims to enhance the goals of the Egyptian state’s strategy to develop exports and achieve the goal of reaching 145 billion dollars, This is done by integrating sectorial plans with the needs of the private sector and export councils to support food industries and enhance their competitiveness in global markets:

1-Strengthening coordination between government agencies and export councils

* Linking the objectives of the Egyptian state’s strategy for developing exports and reaching 145 billion exports to sectorial strategies and the importance of their integration with the demands of the private sector and export councils as it explains the targets of each export sector separately, followed by the targets of the sub-sectors, indicating the countries and expected growth rates.

* Intensifying cooperation between the Export Council, the Ministry of Agriculture, and affiliated bodies such as the Veterinary and Agricultural Quarantine to expedite the registration of food products that require prior agreements with the targeted countries.

2. Supporting and enhancing food safety and the export chain system

*Maximizing the role of the National Food Safety Authority in monitoring and supervising foods intended for export, which contributes to raising the quality of Egyptian products and improving their image in global markets as they represent the quality seal for Egyptian products, and Increasing importers’ confidence in Egyptian products and enhancing their competitiveness.

*Tightening control over export operations by allowing exports only from approved export stations, which contributes to controlling the value chain, improving agricultural practices and reducing informal sector activity, to ensure maintaining the quality and reputation of the Egyptian product in global markets.

Obligating all companies in the food industry sector to participate in the Food Industries Export Council to ensure compliance with the quality and safety standards required for different markets.

3-Financial and administrative procedures for the Export Development Fund and enhancing the financial support provided by the state

* Expediting the disbursement of export support dues immediately upon submission of documents, without deductions, while quickly mechanizing the fund to ensure transparency and efficiency.

* Developing an export support program in line with the current economic situation to stimulate companies, and allocating an annual budget linked to the volume of exports of exporting companies to carry out the necessary advertising to promote their products in the targeted markets after presenting them to the relevant Export Council.

* Launching a financing initiative from the Central Bank with a low interest rate of no more than 8% to support the expansion of producing and exporting factories, and providing a package of incentive tax exemptions to export companies based on an increase in their exports.

4. Review fees and costs to enhance export competitiveness

* A comprehensive review of the fees imposed by various parties that negatively affect the competitiveness of Egyptian exports, with an effort to cancel them, with consideration of exempting or reducing packaging materials used in export industries from value-added tax to enhance the competitiveness of products in international markets.

5. Facilitating participation in exhibitions and trade missions

* Increasing the budget allocated to participate in specialized international exhibitions, and facilitating entry procedures for buyers’ delegations into Egypt to enhance direct interaction with Egyptian exporters and support efforts to promote Egyptian products globally.

6-Developing the international transport and trade system

* Providing regular sea shipping lines at competitive prices to African markets.

* Facilitating land transport procedures to neighboring countries such as Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Yemen, taking into account security conditions to prevent smuggling and improve the flow of goods.

* Improving inspection and customs clearance procedures at the border and providing the necessary equipment to avoid overcrowding and speed up the transfer of products to target markets

7-Strengthening business relationships and resolving obstacles in target markets

* Strengthening relations with neighboring countries to benefit from balanced Egyptian foreign policies to develop economic and trade cooperation with these countries.

* Negotiating with countries that impose some restrictions on Egyptian exports with the aim of removing obstacles and improving the flow of Egyptian products to targeted markets such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kenya, and Morocco.

8-Developing export policies and indicative prices

* Establishing indicative prices for food exports to prevent issues of subsidies and dumping in international markets and to avoid price speculation that leads to depriving the exporter of export price differences and affects financial flows in foreign currency.