The Egyptian-Indian Business Council convened a key meeting to advance economic ties, focusing on joint manufacturing and technology localization in chemicals and plastics. Participants proposed a trade mission to India in late March to boost Egyptian exports. This initiative aims to narrow the trade imbalance amid growing bilateral investments.
On Monday, the Egyptian-Indian Business Council held an expanded meeting in Cairo, chaired by Khaled Abou El Makarem, head of the Egyptian side. Attendees included Indian Ambassador to Cairo Suresh K. Reddy and Commercial Representative Rav Praveen, alongside industry leaders from both nations. The discussions marked a shift from conventional trade to collaborative efforts in manufacturing, particularly in chemicals and plastics sectors.
Abou El Makarem highlighted robust growth in Egyptian non-oil exports to India, which rose 28% in 2025 to $706 million from $552 million the previous year. He attributed this to sectors like chemicals and fertilizers, up 176% to $224 million, and printing and packaging, which surged 350%. Engineering and electronics exports increased 112% to $9 million, while plastics and rubber grew 6% to $65 million. Egypt's imports from India reached $3.5 billion in 2025, a 9% rise, with over 60 Indian companies operating in Egypt.
Ambassador Reddy called the $700 million export figure a milestone, noting India's economy is nearly ten times larger than Egypt's, with total foreign trade at $1.1 trillion and industrial exports at $850 billion. He disclosed Indian investments in Egypt exceeding $5 billion across nearly 70 factories, generating 40,000 jobs. Reddy proposed a specialized Egyptian trade mission to India on March 27-28, 2026, targeting plastics and machinery post-Ramadan, drawing parallels to successful India-Brazil trade exceeding $16 billion.
Rav Praveen outlined India's plastics sector, with over 30,000 units and exports of $26-27 billion, aiming for $40 billion by decade's end. He pointed to opportunities in Egypt's $1.7 billion annual imports of polyethylene and polypropylene, where India's share is just $20 million, aided by Egypt's 8% customs tariff versus 18% in the US.
Amarnath Ananthanarayanan of TCI Sanmar affirmed investments of $1.5-1.6 billion in Egypt, supplying chlorine for 50% of the nation's drinking water and exporting to 35-55 countries. The company expressed willingness to aid Gaza reconstruction with PVC pipes alongside Egyptian firms.
Both sides emphasized industrial integration and concrete projects for markets like Libya and Gaza, prioritizing quality and pricing for global competitiveness.
