Movingfert begins US$40M phosphate plant in Upper Egypt to boost export capacity
Construction of the first production line is complete, and operations for the project’s first phase are expected to begin this year.
EGYPT – Fertilizer producer Movingfert has started developing a US$40 million phosphate manufacturing plant in the Keft Free Zone in Upper Egypt, marking another step in Egypt’s drive to strengthen its fertilizer export base and upgrade mineral processing capacity.
According to the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the facility is being built on 190,000 square metres.
Construction of the first production line has been completed, with operations for the first phase expected to begin later this year.
Once fully operational, the plant will have a production capacity of 500,000 tons per year, with around 80 percent of output destined for export markets in Europe and East Asia.
The project is supported by the General Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (GAAD), which is facilitating access to utilities, water, and energy infrastructure.
The Keft Free Zone was selected for its proximity to key phosphate mining areas and Safaga port, a logistics advantage expected to reduce inland transport costs and improve export efficiency.
Movingfert Chairman Sherif Zeid said the plant will use Chinese and European technologies to convert low-grade phosphate ore into higher value-added products, focusing on concentration and impurity reduction.
The facility aims to increase the concentration of low-grade ore to 18–24 percent and produce approximately 3 million tons annually of high-grade phosphate at 32–34 percent concentration.
This approach supports Egypt’s strategy of exporting more processed and higher-margin mineral products rather than raw materials.
Movingfert, a multinational producer and trader of fertilizers and raw materials founded over 15 years ago, operates in the Czech Republic and Egypt, with plans to expand into Dubai.
The investment comes as Egypt intensifies efforts to strengthen export competitiveness.
GAFI CEO Mohamed El-Gawsaky highlighted recent reforms aimed at linking the country to global value chains and reducing customs clearance time from 15.8 days to 5.8 days, following US$550 million in customs infrastructure investments.
These measures have reportedly helped Egyptian companies reduce shipping costs by approximately US$1.5 billion.
The fertilizer and chemical sector remains central to Egypt’s non-oil export growth.
In the first nine months of 2025, chemical and fertilizer exports rose 10 percent to US$6.849 billion, up from US$6.208 billion in the same period of 2024. Overall non-oil exports increased 20 percent to US$37.8 billion.
Egypt has set a target to increase annual exports to US$115.8 billion by 2030, with 15–20 percent annual growth in non-oil exports.
Against this backdrop, the Movingfert project is expected to strengthen the domestic phosphate value chain, support agricultural expansion and land reclamation programmes, and reinforce Egypt’s position as a regional fertilizer supplier.
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