Military-run Mostaqbal Misr (Future of Egypt Authority for Sustainable Development) has set a 20% fee for brokering rice exports on behalf of local companies, a source familiar with the matter at the authority told Al Manassa. The source, who requested anonymity, said the fee is intended to boost Mostaqbal Misr’s financial resources.
Two rice exporters confirmed the new fee, saying it was introduced only after a decision this month extended Mostaqbal Misr’s authority to export rice, despite a long-standing ban. They said the authority previously charged a fixed fee of about $150 per ton.
At the new 20% rate, exporters would need to sell rice at about $750 per ton for Mostaqbal Misr’s fee to remain at the previous $150 level, well above the current global price of roughly $300 to $450 per ton.
That puts exporters and the authority in a pricing bind. The source said Mostaqbal Misr wants to price Egyptian rice above prevailing global levels to reflect the quality of the local product, but warned that pushing prices too high could make it less competitive in some foreign markets.
Last week, the government extended Mostaqbal Misr’s authority to broker rice exports for local producers through the end of next year. The new decision allows the authority to export about 200,000 tons over that period.
Since its export authority was extended this month, Mostaqbal Misr has received five offers from local companies to export between 7,000 and 10,000 tons each, the source said.
According to a previous Al Manassa report, Mostaqbal Misr gained the exclusive right to broker rice exports in April.
The source said lower-priced Indian and Philippine rice account for a large share of European markets, but cutting Egyptian rice prices enough to compete may not work for local exporters.
Exporters must be consulted before any move to lower the offering price of Egyptian rice so they can prepare the necessary financial studies before signing contracts with foreign importers, the source explained.
Contracts run through the end of 2027, meaning companies would be required to supply rice at the agreed price without adjustment.
Granting Mostaqbal Misr authority to export rice marked a shift in official policy. Egypt banned rice exports in 2016 under Trade and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 722 to conserve scarce water resources amid the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute and its impact on Egypt’s water supplies. The government and the Customs Authority renewed the ban in February 2025.
Egypt produced approximately 4 million tons of white rice last year against estimated domestic consumption of 3.5 million tons, according to previous statements made to Al Manassa by Hamdi El-Mowafi, head of the National Project for Rice Production Development at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Egypt’s rice planting season begins in May each year, with harvesting running from August through the end of October. Rice is then milled and brought to market starting in November.
