Egypt’s Printing and Packaging Exports Cross $1 Billion

Sanjeev Varma February 2, 2023

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Egypt’s Export Council of Printing, Packaging, Paper, Literary and Artistic Works has announced that the sector’s exports increased 8% to $1.063 billion in 2022 as against $987.8 million in the year-earlier period.

The council’s report revealed that the packaging sector’s exports rose by 4% to $624.75 million in 2022 as against $601.63 million in the year-earlier period. While corrugated cardboard exports totaled $46.81 million in 2022, a rise by 8%, as compared to $43.15 million in 2021, folding carton exports grew by a robust 126% to $30.15 million in 2022, as compared to $13.35 million in the year-earlier period.

The flexible packaging sector’s exports dipped 3% to $348 million in 2022, as compared to $358.68 million in 2021. Plastic packaging exports were up by 4% to $132.60 million, as against $127.1 million.

Paper bag exports remained flat at $3.53 million in 2022, the same as in the preceding year, whereas exports of textile bags grew by 4% amounting to $132.60 million in 2022, as compared to the year-earlier period’s $127.1 million.

Total paper exports also grew by 16% to record $409.36 million, as against $353.34 million in 2021. Exports of the significantly important printing paper showed a strong growth by 92% to $15.90 million as compared to $8.49 million in the year-earlier period. In comparison, kraft paper exports declined by 29% to $6 million in 2022.

Exports of fluting paper registered a huge decline by 43% to $1.7 million in 2022, as against $3.6 million in 2021. Also, while testliner exports amounted to $38.5 million in 2022, a year on year (YoY) decline of 5%, as against $40.35 million, duplex paper recorded exports to the tune of $21.3 million in 2022, a YoY decline of 7%, as against $22.8 million.

Tissue paper exports grew 6% to $70.6 million in 2022, as against $68.5 million, the preceding year. Jumbo rolls saw a 63% YoY growth in exports to $131.5 million in 2022, as against $80.7 million. Finally, the total exports of the book printing sector grew by 2% in 2022 to $11.76 million, as against $11.56 in the year-earlier period.