Egypt: Ministry Targets 488,000 Feddans of Winter Potatoes, Pushes Cheaper Local G2 Seed
The winter area target of about 205,000 hectares points to large Egyptian supply for Europe and Russia in early 2027. Local G2 seed is sold through cooperatives below the price of imports.
Egypt plans to plant 488,000 feddans of potatoes in the current winter season. This is about 205,000 hectares. Dr Mohamed Shata gave the figure to the news site Masrawy on 23 September. He heads the central administration for regional directorates at the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to the official, the ministry will follow planting in each governorate. It will also help farmers with seed and advice. The main growing areas are five governorates in the Nile Delta: Gharbia, Sharqia, Qalyubia, Kafr El-Sheikh and Dakahlia.
Local G2 seed at lower prices
This season has a new element, the official said. A national alliance works with the Egyptian exporters union to supply Egyptian seed potatoes of the G2 class. Agricultural cooperatives distribute this seed across the country. The seed is sold at prices below imported seed, according to the ministry. The official did not give prices or volumes.
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Earlier in September, the ministry said it had started to supply certified seed potatoes to smallholders directly. The aim is to remove intermediaries from the seed chain.
Export context
The winter crop feeds both the local market and exports. Egypt exported 929,000 tonnes of potatoes in January–August 2026. The Information and Decision Support Center of the cabinet published this figure on 8 September. Potatoes were the second largest farm export after citrus, at 2.3 million tonnes. Sweet potatoes are counted separately, at 280,000 tonnes.
The ministry also reported that 970,149 tonnes of potatoes were tested for export from October 2025 to May 2026. In May alone, 25,999 tonnes were tested for Russia and 15,771 tonnes for the European Union.
Why it matters
Egypt is one of the largest potato exporters to Europe and Russia in the first half of the year. The size of the winter crop decides how much Egyptian potato will be available from January to May 2027. A target of 488,000 feddans shows the ministry expects a large planted area again.
The push for local G2 seed matters for European seed exporters. Egypt imports large volumes of seed potatoes every autumn. Any shift to local seed may reduce import demand over time. However, the ministry has not published the volume of local seed available this season.
Photo: Potato cultivation (illustrative). Yousef Naser Mohamed Mohamed / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
