JAKARTA – As the most population in Africa and Middle East, Egytpt is also the highest consumers of vegetable oil. It is imported for about 80%. What is the chance to Indonesia’s palm oil market?

Egypt has 86,8 millions people and the population grows 1,84% per year. This makes Egypt is the most crowded population in Africa and Middle East and becomes the 16th most crowded country in the world.

Fortune reported, in July 2014, Egypt was one important market goal in Middle East for it has strategical geographic and demographic position. Unfortunately, the Pyramide country could not fulfill its high vegetable oil needs.

The total vegetable oil consumption in Egypt reached 2,1 millions tons in 2013. The local stocks are about 18 – 20% only and the rests are from semi process imports.

There are two kinds of vegetable oil which Egypt  does import mostly, they are, palm oil and sun flower. Then Egypt also imports soybean, corn, coconut, palm kernel oils, and the fatty products, such as, butter, margarine and hydro generation fat.

The progress of vegetable oil market in Egypt is supported by the goood trade policy because the incoming tax is zero percent for refined raw oil and crude oil. This country is also the member of free trade agreement. This becomes the central inter- re export to the countries in Middle East North Africa (MENA) and Europe.

In every year, Egypt is predicted to consume palm oil and fat about 2,09 millions of tons. In 1980s and 1990s, Egypt was the promising vegetable oil market. But it was no more be the trend for the regulation regulated in the subsidy scheme in cooking oil.

According to Fortune, liquid oil contributes about 60% of the total cooking oil consumption in Egypt and the rests are vegetable samin oil. Fat and oil in Egypt are mainly used to food ingredients and the industrial needs.(T2)

For more detail, it can be read in InfoSAWIT February, 2015 http://www.store.infosawit.com