Egypt is aiming to boost its fish exports to Italy following a meeting on February 15 between Tarek El-Houby, head of the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA), and representatives from the Italian Embassy in Cairo and the Italian Trade Agency.
The discussions focused on aligning sanitary standards, modernizing inspection systems, and simplifying approval procedures for Egyptian export facilities.
Both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening technical coordination, sharing information on sanitary and regulatory requirements, facilitating the approval of establishments, and ensuring that compliant Egyptian seafood products gain better access to the Italian market, according to a statement from the NFSA, seen on Ecofin Agency.
The renewed engagement comes as Egypt works to rebuild its seafood exports to the European Union.
Fish imports from Egypt were suspended by the EU in 2021 after the European Commission identified compliance issues during an inspection.
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Egypt regained authorization to resume exports to the bloc in 2024.
Trade Map data show that in 2019, Egypt exported nearly $13 million worth of fish to the EU, with 38% going to Italy, its largest European market at the time. The current challenge is to recover market share lost to other suppliers.
In 2024, the EU imported nearly $48.1 billion in seafood products, representing about one-third of global imports in the category.
In the same year, Egypt’s total fish exports to international markets reached $68.7 million.
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Image Credit: The Fish Site
