January 29, 2026
Year after year in the 2020s, Egypt has boosted its alubia production, climbing to the top of the global export charts. The GPC’s Pulse Atlas tells this story of agricultural expansion — the country’s journey to white bean dominance revealed in the data. A full Pulse Atlas update with export, consumption, and production figures from Egypt will be available for GPC members soon. Here’s a sneak peek at the dataset.
Egypt’s alubia sector has expanded rapidly since 2020, with rising acreage and dual summer–winter crops propelling the country to the top of global white bean export rankings.
One of the world's biggest bean success stories over recent years is the Egyptian alubia. The North African nation has sped through a cycle of expansion, pushing up alubia acres and overtaking Argentina as the world's largest white bean supplier in 2023.
The rise of Egyptian alubias has its roots in a crisis of the early-2010s, according to Mahmoud Mohamed of Al Amir, who explained that supply challenges from its competitor Argentina led to European buyers turning to their product. "European buys tested and found Egyptian white beans comparable," said Mohamed, "if not superior in quality."
Production really ramped up at the turn of the decade, coinciding with three consecutive years (2022-2024) of poor alubia crops from Argentina. Egypt’s two separate crops – a large summer crop and a smaller winter crop – have grown steadily since 2020. Pulse Atlas data shows that between 2020-2024, these crops increased every calendar year, growing Egyptian total production by 136% over four years.
2025 was no exception to the expansion, with a summer crop estimated at 185 KMT, and a winter crop, usually harvested in December, totalling roughly 75 KMT. A total of 260 KMT would mean a notable slowdown in growth of 21% year-on-year (YoY). Whether this signals a plateau, or just a blip on the road to even larger production, remains to be seen.
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Egypt’s alubia bean area vs production between 2017-2025.
Egypt alubia production / white bean exports / global pulse trade / Pulse Atlas data / North Africa agriculture / alubias market outlook
Disclaimer: The opinions or views expressed in this publication are those of the authors or quoted persons. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Global Pulse Confederation or its members.
