Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil announced an increase of Egyptian exports to the French market by 36.4% during 2017, reaching €572m in value compared to €420m in 2016, pointing out that the trade exchange between the two countries increased last year by 21.8% versus 2016. "The French market is one of the most important European markets receiving Egyptian exports, as a large number of major Egyptian exports are widely accepted by French consumers," Kabil said, noting that Egyptian-French bilateral relations witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years. Kabil said that the distinguished political relations between the two countries reflected positively on the terms of trade exchange and joint investments between Egypt and France, pointing out the importance of strengthening economic relations between Egypt and France during the next phase to reach unprecedented levels. Ahmed Antar, undersecretary of the Trade Ministry and head of the Commercial Representation Authority, attributed the large increase in Egyptian exports to France during the past year to the great efforts exerted by the Egyptian Commercial Office in Paris, which resulted in increased exports of a large number of products. Exports of organic chemical products came in first place with an unprecedented growth in 2017 of 226.6%. Fertilisers came second with 61.5%, while plastics and plastic products ranked third with an increase of 54%. Fresh vegetables, meanwhile, came in fourth place with an increase of 27%, and finally. exports of garments and textiles ranked fifth with a growth rate of 5%.
