The Egyptian fish market is experiencing stable prices, according to traders. The country's aquaculture sector is the primary source of fish production, accounting for 80-85% of the total production, which stands at approximately 1.6 million tons. The remaining production comes from natural sources, including the Nile River, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and Egyptian lakes.
Egypt ranks first in Africa and sixth globally in the aquaculture sector, thanks to large-scale national projects such as the Berka Gleyon project in Kafr El Sheikh, which is one of the largest fish cities in the Middle East. The project adopts the latest international standards. Other projects include the East Suez Canal project in Ismailia, which features thousands of ponds, feed factories, and packaging plants to support and develop the Sinai region.
The Egyptian government initiated aquaculture in seawater in 2015, under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This was done to utilize Egypt's strategic location on the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, as well as the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba. The prices of some fish types, such as flatfish, range between 85 and 100 pounds, depending on the region.
The prices of other fish types, such as bori, range between 175 and 250 pounds, while the price of kilo of sea bass ranges between 170 and 270 pounds. Egypt's total fish production stands at approximately 2.2 million tons annually, with 1,571,000 tons coming from aquaculture and 456,000 tons from natural fisheries, according to Dr. Salah Meiselhi, head of the General Authority for Fish Wealth Development.
In the Obour market, wholesale prices for various fish types are as follows: flatfish ranges between 59 and 64 pounds per kilo, bori ranges between 100 and 240 pounds, and capercaillie ranges between 50 and 180 pounds. The price of kilo of snakes ranges between 100 and 700 pounds.
The Obour market also reports the following prices: kilo of denis ranges between 275 and 425 pounds, while the prices of coral range between 100 and 240 pounds. The price of kilo of "spite, calamari, and sabia" ranges between 25 and 400 pounds, and the price of frozen pasta ranges between 75 and 145 pounds.
Frozen fish prices in Egypt are as follows: kilo of frozen pasta ranges between 30 and 60 pounds, while the price of kilo of frozen denis ranges between 350 and 475 pounds. Egypt has achieved a self-sufficiency rate of 92-93.5% in fish production, with the average Egyptian consuming 18 kilos of fish per year, compared to the global average of 20 kilos per year.
Key points
- Egypt's aquaculture sector produces 80-85% of the country's total fish production.
- The country's total fish production stands at approximately 2.2 million tons annually.
- Egypt has achieved a self-sufficiency rate of 92-93.5% in fish production.
