BBM Magazine 97 - February / Şubat 2026

BBM • FEBRUARY - ŞUBAT 2026 40 erences such as COMESA, and humanitarian channels can shape demand. On the import side, wheat sourcing diversified notably in 2025: Russia’s share fell from 74% to around 56%, while Ukraine’s surged from 13% to 31%, with smaller increases from France and declines from Romania. The overall import reduction, he said, reflected higher domestic production, stronger strategic stocks following heavy buying in 2024, softer demand pressures linked to reduced purchasing power, and some mills delaying purchases amid favourable earlier pricing. He highlighted the flour market’s strategic importance in Egypt, supported by staple demand and flour-intensive industries such as pasta—whose consumption has gained as a cost-effective alternative to rice amid water constraints on rice cultivation—while expansion in biscuit and bakery industries continues to underpin demand. Key challenges, he added, include intense domestic com- petition, weakening purchasing power, and renewed vola- tility risk from geopolitics in the Black Sea region. Looking ahead, he expressed optimism about Egypt’s export poten- tial, citing large milling capacities, expanding African trade links, and operating-cost advantages versus regional com- petitors such as Türkiye—with 2026 priorities centred on delivering consistent quality at competitive prices for both domestic and export markets. Below, El-Sebaie shares his assessment of the shifts re- shaping Egypt’s wheat and flour markets and what they mean for 2026. For readers who may not know Egyptian Swiss Group well, could you briefly introduce the company? The Egyptian Swiss Group for Pasta, Milling, and Concen- trates is one of the most prominent integrated industrial en- tities in the wheat milling and food industries sector in Egypt and the region. The group alone accounts for around 20% of Egypt’s annual flour exports and more than 15% of Egypt’s pasta exports. This position reflects the group’s reliance on a strong production base and investments extending over three de- cades, enabling it to transform from a limited trading activ- ity into a fully integrated industrial system serving both the domestic market and export destinations. What are the group’s key production capacities and current investment base? The group owns a fully integrated manufacturing system that includes two flour mills with a combined milling capacity of 1,500 tons per day, in addition to a pasta factory with a ri tercih düzenlemeleri ve insani yardım kanalları, bu pazarlar- da talebin seyrini belirleyebiliyor. İthalat cephesinde ise 2025’te buğday tedariki belirgin biçimde çeşitlendi: Rusya’nın payı %74’ten yaklaşık %56’ya gerilerken, Ukrayna’nın payı %13’ten %31’e sıçradı; Fransa’dan alımlarda sınırlı artışlar görülürken Romanya’dan tedarik azal- dı. El-Sebaie, toplam ithalattaki gerilemenin; daha yüksek yer- li üretim, 2024’teki yoğun alımların ardından güçlenen strate- jik stoklar, satın alma gücündeki zayıflamaya bağlı olarak talep baskısının azalması ve bazı değirmenlerin daha önceki elve- rişli fiyatlamaların etkisiyle alımlarını ertelemesi gibi unsurları yansıttığını ifade etti. El-Sebaie, un piyasasının Mısır’da temel gıda talebiyle des- teklenen stratejik bir öneme sahip olduğunun altını çizdi. Ma- karna gibi un yoğun sektörler bu tabloyu güçlendiriyor; üste- lik su kısıtları nedeniyle pirinç üretimine getirilen sınırlamalar sonucunda, daha “maliyet etkin” bir alternatif olarak makarna tüketiminin ivme kazandığını belirtiyor. Bisküvi ve fırıncılık sa- INTERVIEW • RÖPORTAJ