Khaled Abu Al-Makarem, the Chairperson of the Chemical and Fertilizers Export Council, said that Egypt's chemical industries occupied the first place among Egyptian exports, amounting to about 22% of Egypt's total non-oil exports. Abu Al-Makarem added that chemical and fertiliser industry exports also achieved a growth rate of 43% in 2021, recording $6.6bn, up from the $4.165bn achieved during the same period in 2020. He explained that European Union countries accounted for the largest share of the sector's exports at 29% of the total exports, followed by Asian and Arab countries with 21% each. The chemical industry's exports topped those of the plastics and rubber industry by about $2.4bn; with fertilisers, chemicals, detergents, paints, and glass products bringing in about $2.2bn, $973m, $256m, $235m and $205m, respectively. As for the largest importing markets for the sector's products, Turkey topped the list in 2021 with a value of about $1bn, followed by Italy with a value of about $450m, then Argentina with about $380m. In terms of countries with chemical exports entering new markets, Romania brought in $130m and Algeria gained $100m. Abu Al-Makarem revealed that the council, through its 2022-2025 strategy, aims to achieve a growth rate of up to 20% annually as a minimum, and to achieve an export value of more than $10bn minimum for the chemicals sector. He elaborated that the council's marketing plan depends on many mechanisms, namely entering new markets — especially African markets — through missions and trade weeks, specialised international exhibitions, homogeneous exhibitions with a homogeneous display structure, and buyers' missions. It also relies on business networking between Egyptian exporters and importers from different countries through visits prepared by the council for the target customers of Egyptian companies or by receiving them on the side-lines of internal exhibitions, or through Zoom meetings.
