City Farm the leading Company in the Food industry sector intends to penetrate the European markets by launching representative offices in several countries, including Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, according to Mahmoud Lamei, the CEO of City Farm.

Lamei stated that the company has achieved remarkable success in the American market in recent years . Therefore, seeking to diversify its revenues and penetrate more foreign countries, particularly in Europe.

He explained that City Farm preferred to start with markets characterized by a large number of Arab communities, including Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In a later stage, after achieving sales targets, further expansion in the continent will be discussed.

He believed that this expansion step would increase the company's overall sales targets by about 30% compared to the planned target at the beginning of the year, which is $50 million.

He also pointed out that Egyptian food products, especially dried foods, are highly popular in foreign markets. This motivates City Farm to intensify its efforts to increase local production capacity and exports, relying on crops that comply with all international standards.

Lamei mentioned that City Farm has been actively supplying products within the American market since 2021. At that time, it achieved annual sales of $28 million, which increased to $35 million in 2022, and reached about $50 million last year.

He clarified that the company operates in the field of exporting Egyptian agricultural products to various American markets and has a strong presence in the states of New York, New Jersey, Florida, Chicago, Texas, and Michigan.

He mentioned that City Farm supplies several agricultural products, including molokhia, okra, goulash, green beans, spinach, falafel, green lentils, and grape leaves, in addition to packaged juices and peas.

Lamei affirmed that Arab and Egyptian customers account for the majority of sales within famous commercial chains in the United States. However, there is also demand from other nationalities to purchase goods that are popular in Egypt, such as falafel, molokhia, and peas.

He explained that his company owns subsidiary branches in the Egyptian market, with agricultural lands covering an area of 120 acres in the Menoufia Governorate. These lands are cultivated with various crops to secure the necessary raw materials for export. Furthermore, the company is seriously considering increasing that area by purchasing ready-to-cultivate lands to enhance production capacity.

Lamei stated that the total production capacity exported from Egypt amounts to approximately 1,300 tons per year, and efforts will be made to increase this quantity in line with the government's policy to increase the value and quantity of exports as an important source of foreign currency.

He also revealed that City Farm relies on the ports of Alexandria and Damietta for exporting products to America, which are received at the ports of New York, New Jersey, and Florida. The total investments of City Farm reach $250 million, represented by annual sales and transportation assets.

It is worth mentioning that the latest data released by US authorities showed an increase in Egyptian exports of food industries to approximately $345 million in 2022. Among the leading exports were mollusks, vegetables, and dried fruits, especially strawberries.

It was confirmed that Egyptian companies have available export opportunities in the US market, particularly in the fields of citrus fruits, juices, olive oil, and artichokes.

The US market is considered one of the most important importers of Egyptian food products. In 2022, it ranked second among the most important countries importing Egyptian manufactured food, with a total value of Egyptian exports reaching $4.2 billion in the same year.

The increase in export volume comes from expanding exports of surplus crops, especially vegetables and fruits, and promoting them in foreign markets, including markets in Africa, East and South Asia, and some Latin American countries.

The CEO of City Farm affirmed that the economic development plan addressed this issue, as expanding agricultural exports provides valuable foreign currency for the country. Furthermore, expanding exports opens up new horizons and increases employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly.

The Export Council for Agricultural Crops revealed a significant increase in the sector's exports to European Union countries during the 2022/2023 export season, which concluded in August of the previous year.

Egypt's exports of agricultural crops to European Union countries grew by 81% during the previous export season, reaching 1.41 million tons compared to 777,000 tons during the 2021/2022 export season.

The value of Egypt's exports of agricultural crops to European Union countries increased by 42% during the period from September 2022 to August 2023, amounting to $917 million compared to $644 million during the same period in 2021/2022. European Union countries account for 25% of Egypt's total agricultural crop exports and 26% of the value of those exports.

As for the most important varieties of Egyptian agricultural crops exported to European Union countries, they include citrus fruits with a value of $211 million through the export of 491,000 tons, fresh potatoes with about 394,000 tons valued at $166 million, and fresh onions with about 128,000 tons valued at $64 million.

Regarding the most important European countries importing Egyptian agricultural crops, they include the Netherlands with a volume of 443,000 tons valued at $274 million, Italy with about 175,000 tons valued at $117 million, Greece with about 156,000 tons valued at $61 million, Spain with about 153,000 tons valued at $72 million, Slovenia with about 89,000 tons valued at $66 million, and Germany with about 84,000 tons valued at $104 million.