CAIRO, June 18 (Reuters) – Egypt’s food exports to Libya and Sudan will face increasing barriers after the introduction of new import duties and transport restrictions, the head of Egypt’s Food Industries Export Council said on Thursday.
Hany Berzy told Reuters Libya’s decision to impose a 10 percent import duty on Egyptian food commodities and Egypt’s decision to prohibit transfer of food products to Sudan via land was a double blow to the sector.
“Unfortunately, everyone is trying to introduce extra taxes to protect their local industries despite the fact that we have an Arab free trade agreement,” Berzy said, adding he did not know the exact reason Egypt restricted land transportation for commodities bound for Sudan.
“The Halayib and Shalatin land exit to Sudan is very important for our exports and I don’t know why that decision was taken,” he said.
The value of Egypt’s food exports declined 28 percent in the first five months of 2009 to 2.6 billion Egyptian pounds ($464 million) from 3.6 billion pounds in the same period of 2008.
Egypt wants to double its food exports, which stood at $1.7 billion in 2008, in the next three years. ($1 = 5.6038 Egyptian pounds) (Reporting by Maha El Dahan; editing by James Jukwey)
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