EGYPT DATA: October wheat imports nearly triple, corn imports fall 35%

Egypt imported 985,425 metric tons of wheat in October 2026, according to local shipping data from LATT Trading & Shipping, nearly tripling September's total but down 47% year over year.

Russia regained its position as Egypt's largest supplier in October, shipping 403,245 mt, up 272% month on month. Russian wheat exported from the Baltic became more prominent: Latvian ports supplied 107,819 mt and a Lithuanian port supplied 30,700 mt, accounting for 14% of October imports.

Ukrainian wheat arrivals almost doubled to 269,070 mt from September, representing 27% of October imports. Romanian shipments also increased, rising 68% to 138,253 mt, while Bulgaria supplied 30,462 mt and Moldova 5,877 mt.

Traders are monitoring weak demand in Egypt as the market anticipates a possible reopening of normal exports from the Black Sea. Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed CIF East Med wheat basis Egypt with 12.5% protein at $307/mt on Oct. 30, down $11/mt on the week.

The Egyptian pound reached a record low of EGP 56/$1, and ex-warehouse wheat prices fell to a range of EGP 17,500-18,000/mt for Russian wheat with 12.5% protein. The fall in prices was also driven by the state's sales of wheat to private mills at EGP 16,650/mt, lower than the ex-warehouse prices.

Total imports during the first four months of the marketing year totaled 2.37 million mt, compared with 5.26 million mt last year. Since January, imports have reached 9.2 million mt, just 600,000 mt short of last year's level.

All recorded arrivals between July and October were purchased by private-sector buyers. Market participants expect state buyer arrivals to resume in November following purchases of at least five French wheat cargoes and two Romanian cargoes. The state buyer was also heard to have rejected Bulgarian wheat on quality grounds.

The Platts wheat benchmark, the Milling Wheat Marker, averaged $202.59/mt in October, down from the September average of $211.73/mt.

Egypt's wheat imports (mt)

Corn imports fall on currency fluctuations, sufficient stocks

Egypt's corn imports totaled 777,269 metric tons in October 2026, down 35% month over month and 42.2% year over year, according to local shipping data from LATT Trading & Shipping.

Brazilian corn remained the primary origin during the month. Brazil supplied 746,178 mt in October, compared with 1.20 million mt in September, a decline of 37.7%. Despite this substantial reduction, Brazilian cargoes accounted for 96.1% of October's corn imports. However, year-over-year Brazilian exports dropped by 36%, from 1.18 million mt in October 2025.

Argentinian supply remained limited during the month, with only a single cargo of 30,551 mt, up from no cargoes in September but down from 141,045 mt in October 2025.

Ukrainian corn remained out of the market amid logistical hurdles in the Black Sea. Egyptian importers said that historically, October, November, and December have seen the arrival of the Ukrainian new crop, which is absent this year due to the unavailability of Ukrainian corn.

Fresh buying remained limited, as domestic corn was around $10/mt cheaper than international replacement values, while importers reported sufficient warehouse stocks to cover about 1.5 months of consumption. Recent currency fluctuations are also limiting new corn purchases, according to a corn buyer at a feed mill in Egypt.

Market participants consequently expect imports to slow further in November, with one importer estimating Brazilian arrivals at around 450,000 mt.

Platts-assessed Ukrainian corn averaged $220.81/mt in October, down $3.59/mt from $224.40/mt in September. Platts-assessed Brazilian corn averaged $223.82/mt in October, down $16.67/mt from $240.49/mt in September, and Argentine corn averaged $216.70/mt in October, down $9.39/mt from $226.10/mt in September.

Egypt's corn imports (mt)