Egypt may increase imports of American corn due to supply disruptions from Ukraine

If the operation of deep-sea ports remains unstable, Egypt may increase grain purchases from the Americas.

Egypt, one of the world’s largest corn importers, may increase grain purchases from Brazil, Argentina and the United States due to disruptions in supplies from Ukraine. This is reported by Argus Media.

According to estimates by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), in the 2025/26 and 2026/27 marketing years, corn imports to Egypt may exceed 13 million tons, which will be a record figure. The main driver of demand growth is the expansion of poultry production and increased feed consumption.

At the same time, Ukraine, which in recent years, along with Brazil, has been one of the main suppliers of corn to Egypt, is currently unable to fully ensure exports due to problems with maritime logistics.

Analysts note that even if the Black Sea ports resume stable operations, Ukrainian exporters will still be forced to ship significant stocks of wheat, barley, rapeseed and last year’s corn for some time.

According to Argus, about 5.4 million tons of corn from last year’s harvest currently remain in Ukrainian storage facilities. With the new harvest approaching, this creates additional pressure on logistics and export capacity.

Against this background, Brazil has already become the main supplier of corn to Egypt. At the same time, the increase in export prices for Brazilian grain is improving Argentina’s competitive position, and with the start of the new marketing season, American exporters may also increase their market share.

According to analysts, if export restrictions from Ukraine remain, Egypt will increasingly actively diversify its purchases, which will intensify competition for one of the largest import corn markets in the world.

As USM wrote the day before, Danube ports can accept part of the cargo flow from Great Odesa, but no alternative route can completely replace the capacity of deep-sea ports.