Overview

Egypt has traditionally been one of India’s most important trading partners in the African continent. The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause. Economic cooperation is the key pillar of the Strategic Partnership between India and Egypt.

Over 700 Indian companies are registered in Egypt, of which around 70 are active in various sectors with a combined investment exceeding US$ 5 billion. Major Indian investments in Egypt include TCI Sanmar (with a value of US$ 1.6 billion), Alexandria Carbon Black, Dabur India, Flex P Films, SCIB Paints, Embee garments, and Indorama. Indian companies are present in a range of sectors like apparel, agriculture, chemicals, energy, automobiles, retail and others. Overall, these companies provide direct and indirect employment to approximately 40,000 Egyptians. Several Indian companies including Abdos, Zoho, Tech Mahindra, Zydus etc. are recently invested in Egypt.

The bilateral trade between India and Egypt was US$4.8 billion in FY 2024-25. Over the past 3 years, bilateral trade between India and Egypt has remained stable. India’s main items of exports to Egypt are petroleum products, engineering goods, chemicals, cotton yarn, buffalo meat and drugs & pharmaceuticals. Main items of imports from Egypt are petroleum products, inorganic chemicals, and metallic & non-metallic compounds and citrus fruits.

At the level of institutional mechanism, Joint Trade Commission (JTC) and Joint Business Council (JBC) are the foundational joint mechanism to resolve issues pertaining to bilateral trade & investments and to take forward cooperation in newer areas.

Bilateral economic engagement is further strengthened through regular high-level visits and institutional mechanisms. Over the past two years, more than 450 Indian companies have participated in business engagements, trade fairs, and exhibitions in Egypt. India is the 5th largest exporter to Egypt, 12th largest Importer from Egypt and 6th Largest Trading partner to Egypt.

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