Egypt's Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk announced the official opening of Venezuela's market to fresh Egyptian pomegranate exports, a step expected to boost export activity and diversify destination markets for enhanced sustainability. Farouk received a joint report detailing the Agricultural Quarantine Authority's efforts in technical negotiations with various countries on phytosanitary requirements for pomegranate shipments to Venezuela.
According to the report, Venezuelan authorities sent an official letter confirming the opening of their market to Egyptian pomegranates without imposing additional phytosanitary conditions. This development represents a significant success for the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine Authority, contributing to Egypt's ongoing efforts to diversify its agricultural export portfolio in terms of both products and global markets.
Minister Farouk affirmed that the opening of the Venezuelan market marks an important step within the ministry's broader strategy to expand access for Egyptian agricultural products, in line with the political leadership's directives to support the national economy and strengthen foreign currency inflows. He added that this achievement is primarily the result of the dedicated work of the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine Authority and the ministry's technical departments—including the Department of External Agricultural Relations and accredited reference laboratories—as well as producers' commitment to international phytosanitary standards and quality control. These combined efforts, he said, have earned Egyptian agricultural exports strong confidence in global markets.
Farouk concluded that the ministry will continue to work towards expanding the number of international markets open to Egyptian agricultural products, in cooperation with farmers and exporters, to preserve the strong reputation of Egyptian produce and maximize the benefits of the significant growth in agricultural production driven by major national projects. The announcement was made on October 27, 2025, based on a joint report from Ahmed Azzam, Head of the Agricultural Services and Follow-up Sector, and Mohamed El-Mansy, Head of the Central Administration of Agricultural Quarantine.