Egypt is recording decent potato exports and cheaper domestic prices after per-hectare yields rebounded by 15% through 2025.
The Minister of Agriculture & Land Reclamation Dr. Alaa Farouk linked the increases to changing weather and modern cultivation. This statement was from an interview quoted by El Watan News on July 13, 2025.
During the interview with Lama Gabrial on the Extra News program, Dr. Farouk cited compelling yields for both potatoes and tomatoes by recent years’ standards.
The minister noted the rise in potato exports in tandem with growing demand as a direct outcome of improving yields.
According to the national Agricultural Services and Monitoring Sector, Egypt exported 5.8 million tonnes of agricultural products from January through July 2025. Of these, potatoes came second after citrus with exports worth 1.3 million tonnes, for the period ending July 11.
Prices Down -52.8%, Y-o-y
Dr. Farouk also mentioned declining prices in local markets, a stark contrast to demand-heavy August 2024 when the reverse was true.
Wholesale potatoes in Egypt cost 11 Egyptian Pounds ($0.22) a kg on July 14, 2025, down -52.8% annually, records Arab Finance.
In retail markets, rates currently average $0.45 a kg, a regional low and a -2.2% monthly decline.
The same decrease informs tomatoes, whose rate at 9.9 Egyptian Pounds ($0.20) a kg reflects a -29.6% yearly decrement.
If potato and tomato prices cool further, they could tame inclusive national vegetable inflation that rose to 8.5% in June 2025.
This is why the boost in the yields of the tuber has Egypt back in the picture in both affordability and exports. For more bits on potato productivity in the North African country, peruse the below data.
Egypt Potato Yields Statistics
Egypt is among the 12 biggest potato-producing nations, with an annual production of between 6.6 million tonnes (2022) and 6.9 million tonnes (2023). The bulk grows on the lower Nile in northern Egypt, which has a 72% national production share. But given that much of the cultivation depends on irrigation, it is the ever-changing yield rates that mean much to producers. Productivity remained consistent from 2021 through 2023 at over 29,000 kg per hectare, apiece.
Below is an interpretation of 2019-23 yield rates’ data by the FAOSTAT:
| Year | Yield rate [tonnes/ha] |
| 2023 | 29.154 |
| 2022 | 29.343 |
| 2021 | 29.712 |
| 2020 | 24.620 |
| 2019 | 29.288 |
How many hectares are under potatoes in Egypt?
Unlike yields, the potato area in Egypt has undergone volatile changes in size in the five-year period ending 2023. While in 2019 the acreage totaled 177,569 hectares (ha), in 2020 it hit 276,640 ha. In 2021, it shrunk to 211,156 ha, then rebounded in 2022 at 245,729 ha, only to downsize in 2023 to 235,625 ha.
Given the high yields, how do potato prices in Egypt compare globally?
Enough output and steady productivity ensures that this staple diet remains more affordable in Egypt than most of the world. By mid-July 2025, Egypt was retailing potatoes at $0.45 a kg. Neighbors Morocco ($0.74/kg), Libya ($0.64/kg) and Tunisia ($0.72/kg) all ranked behind Egypt. Conversely, Papua New Guinea was topping worldwide potato retail at the same time at $3.39/kg, according to global market aggregator, Numbeo.