Reference Date: 1-December-2025

Planting of 2026 winter wheat underway, amid favourable weather conditions

Planting of the 2026 winter wheat crops began in November 2025 under favourable weather conditions and is expected to be completed by end of the month. In late October, ahead of the sowing season, the government announced to set the wheat procurement price at EGP 2 350/ardeb (about USD 330/tonne), which is more than 40 percent above the international prices, with the aim to support domestic production by encouraging farmers to expand area planted.

Cereal production estimated at above‑average level in 2025

Total cereal production is estimated at about 24 million tonnes in 2025, about 2 percent above the average. Wheat harvest was completed by the end of last June, while the harvests of rice and maize crops started in mid‑October and are about to be completed. The 2025 wheat production is estimated at near‑average 9.5 million tonnes, supported by an expansion in planted area as farmers were encouraged to increase plantings by the high government procurement price introduced at the start of the 2024/25 sowing season. Furthermore, large‑scale distribution of high‑quality seeds by the government, contributed to the achievement of above‑average yields.

The 2025 maize production is estimated at 7.2 million tonnes, slightly below the average, reflecting curtailed plantings due to high input costs and low domestic prices, while yields were negatively affected by high temperatures in July and August. The impact was partly offset using modern irrigation systems.

The 2025 rice production is estimated at about 6.5 million tonnes, around 10 percent above the average, driven by the distribution of high‑quality seeds by the government and the expansion in area planted.

Above‑average cereal import requirements forecast in 2025/26

Cereal import requirements for the 2025/26 marketing year (July/June) are estimated at 22.6 million tonnes, about 7 percent above the average. Wheat import requirements are preliminary forecast at 13 million tonnes, about 8 percent above the average, reflecting the country’s high reliance on imports, which cover more than half of annual consumption and the expansion of local milling capacity, aimed at exporting flour to neighbouring countries in Africa and the Near East.

Maize import requirements are forecast at 9.5 million tonnes in 2025/26 marketing year, about 8 percent above the average, driven by increased feed needs from the expanding poultry sector.

Annual food inflation eased since mid‑2025

The annual food inflation rate has eased since May 2025 and was estimated at 1.5 percent last October. In September 2025, the national average prices of wheat flour and rice (unpackaged) increased moderately from the previous year, by about
4–5 percent, supported by adequate supply from local production and imports as well as by the government subsidy programme that helps keep essential food prices relatively stable.

Humanitarian funding gap undermines food security situation among refugees in 2025

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees  (UNHCR), as of mid‑November 2025, over 1 million refugees, mostly Sudanese people fleeing from the ongoing conflict, were registered in the country. Significant funding gap has undermined UNHCR’s capacity to assist vulnerable refugees, limiting their ability to meet basic food requirements.

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .

FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .

FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/ .