Egypt opens 2026/27 cotton auctions in Upper Egypt, Giza 98 sells at up to EGP 9,200 a qintar

Egypt held the first official cotton auction of the 2026/27 season on Thursday 1 October at the farmers' syndicate headquarters in Fayoum, opening the trading season for Upper Egypt's crop. According to El Watan News, about 25,504 bags, equal to 29,395 qintars, of the Giza 98 and Giza 95 varieties were offered from three governorates.

The winning prices reported by El Watan were:

• Fayoum, Giza 98: EGP 8,400–9,200 a qintar, for 10,090 bags (11,581 qintars)
• Beni Suef, Giza 95: EGP 9,120–9,200 a qintar, for 12,636 bags (15,110 qintars)
• Assiut, Giza 98: EGP 8,740 a qintar, for 2,778 bags (2,704 qintars)

Al-Mal News, which reported on the morning of the sale that about 30,000 qintars of the long-staple Giza 95 and Giza 98 varieties would go under the hammer, said public and private trading companies and merchants were expected to take part.

The sessions are part of Egypt's cotton trading system, under which seed cotton is sold to traders and spinners through public auctions. Ahead of the harvest, the news site Misr Elaan reported that an executive committee formed by the ministers of industry, investment and agriculture would set the opening prices for this season's auctions. Further auctions are expected in other cotton-growing governorates as the season progresses.

What it means for Egyptian exporters

Auction prices are the first hard signal of what Egyptian cotton will cost this season, and they feed directly into lint and yarn prices for local spinners and for overseas buyers of Egyptian cotton. Garment and home-textile exporters who market "Egyptian cotton" products should watch the coming auctions, including those for Lower Egypt's varieties, before fixing prices for 2027 orders. Steady prices close to these levels would help mills plan their raw-material costs early.