The exports of Par Baked and ready to bake products ranked second among the most exported products during the past year, with a total of $253m. Alaa El Bahay, chairperson of Fancy Food, considered that frozen baked products are the winning bet that will lead exports of flour products, provided that companies pay attention to the advantages of this sector, especially as it is widely accepted and circulated in the Gulf countries, and various African markets, as well as European countries. According to the data of the Food Export Council, exports of biscuits, cakes, and cereal preparations made about $122m during 2019, ranking ninth in the list of the most important food commodities exported. El Bahay told Daily News Egypt that the opportunities for the growth of the frozen bakery sector are promising if was done efficiently, through the technology of shock freezing, freezing at a sudden temperature of -45, which is a mechanism that works with cakes. He pointed out that the product is suitable for before exportation to major hotels and restaurants, as well as to regular consumers, such as exporting frozen pizza, croissants, or pies. El Bahay explained that Fancy Food company will test the global market during 2020, with the export of frozen baked goods, and is preparing to start its export boom during in 2022, and initially targets the Gulf markets, most notably Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan, and it has already exported to the Libyan market, but in limited quantities. Ahmed Elmohamady, export manager at Bayer Foods, which specialises in flour products, said that pasta has promising opportunities in the African market, adding that Tanzania is the most important market, followed by Uganda, then Rwanda, while also naming some countries like Yemen and Libya. He added that pasta has much higher opportunities for exporting potential against biscuits and other flour products, due to the longer shelf life of pasta compared to others. He said that the products of Turkish and North African countries had higher competitiveness than the Egyptian products in the last period but with the new legislation that Egypt applies, the opportunities for export will increase further if the needs of the manufacturers are met. He considered that strengthening Egypt's relations with African countries, concluding bilateral agreements with each country separately, and granting them concessions that contribute to supporting Egyptian exports. Amr Arafa Director of Sales and Marketing at Goldenpack Group said that the African market is fully prepared to accept Egyptian flour products, especially pasta, and urged exporters to strive to expand their sales there and maintain the reputation of the Egyptian products. “There is fierce competition, especially against countries that enjoy strong export support from their governments,” he explained. He pointed out that among the countries that receive Egyptian flour products are Yemen, Libya and Syria.
