Egypt’s trade deficit widens 48.8% to $4.6bn in March amid rising imports

Egypt’s trade deficit widened by 48.8% year-on-year to $4.6bn in March 2026, compared with $3.1bn in the same month of 2025, according to the latest Monthly Foreign Trade Data bulletin issued by Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). The increase came as exports declined while imports recorded strong growth during the month. Egypt’s exports fell by 2.5% to $4.6bn in March 2026, down from $4.8bn in the corresponding month of the previous year. The decline was driven by lower exports of several key commodities, including fertilizers, which dropped by 23.3%, various pastes and food preparations by 10.1%, potatoes by 31.9%, and crude oil by 23.1%. However, exports of several other products recorded notable increases during the month. Petroleum products rose by 68.4%, ready-made garments increased by 4.7%, fresh fruits grew by 30.3%, and plastics in their primary forms expanded by 6.9% compared with March 2025. Meanwhile, the value of imports increased by 17.8% to $9.3bn in March 2026, compared with $7.9bn in the same month a year earlier. The rise was mainly driven by higher imports of petroleum products, up 16.7%, natural gas, up 16.6%, crude oil, up 90.4%, and wheat, up 41.9%. On the other hand, imports of several commodities declined during the period, including iron and steel raw materials, which fell by 31.5%, maize by 6.3%, organic and inorganic chemicals by 21.1%, and medicines and pharmaceutical preparations by 24.5%.  The post Egypt’s trade deficit widens 48.8% to $4.6bn in March amid rising imports first appeared on Dailynewsegypt.