Egyptian firms gear up for China's import expo, eyeing huge market

CAIRO -- As the countdown is ticking for the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), participating Egyptian businesses are gearing up, hoping to find opportunities in the expansive Chinese market.

Among the Egyptian firms heading to this year's CIIE, scheduled in Shanghai on Nov 5 to 10, is Linah Farms, a leading producer of Medjool dates in Egypt and the Middle East. The company has already started shipping high-quality Medjool dates to China, exporting over 150 tons last year, and aspiring to expand its presence in this vast Asian market.

"The demand in the Chinese market is increasing day by day. Hopefully, we can return from the expo with some extra deals," said Ahmed Abdel-Hady, export manager of Linah Farms.

The company's packing and sorting station operates like a beehive, producing 30 tons of finished product each day. Approximately 80 percent of Linah Farms' production is designated for export, while the remaining 20 percent is sold in the local market.

Another Egyptian company attending the 7th CIIE is the Egyptian Swiss Group, which aims to mainly export wheat flour to China, and hopefully pasta and tomato paste as well.

The company produces monthly about 45,000 tons of wheat flour, 8,000 tons of pasta, and 3,000 tons of tomato paste, according to its general manager Ahmed El-Sebaie.

"Seventy-five percent of our production goes for the export business and 25 percent for the local market," El-Sebaie told Xinhua.

El-Sebaie further explained his company will attend the CIIE as both an exporter and importer. "We seek to export our products and at the same time we can find a reliable and good supplier to import some products or raw materials," he said.

Spanning an area of 230 square meters, this year's Egyptian pavilion at the CIIE is organized by Egypt Expo and Convention Authority (EECA), whose chairman Sherif Al-Mawardy said that the number of participating Egyptian companies increased from five last year to seven this year, covering agricultural products, food products, handicrafts, and service.

"The CIIE is important for Egypt and Egyptian companies, as it represents an important window for Egyptian products to the Chinese market, which is one of the largest markets in the world," the EECA chief told Xinhua.