The 4th UR-GE Project’s first international marketing event, organized by TARMAKBİR with assistance from the Turkish Ministry of Trade, will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from September 22–24, 2026, in conjunction with the 38th Sahara International Agricultural Fair.
Agromeks, Bağsan, Ege Şaft, Çelmak, Özbudak, Özkan, Paksan, Türkay, and Yüzüak are among the enterprises that will participate in this activity, which aims to improve the Turkish agricultural machinery sector’s access to new markets and foster international commercial relationships. The program’s objectives are to connect participating businesses with importers, distributors, major agricultural companies, and industry experts in Egypt and surrounding nations, present their goods directly to prospective customers, and establish the groundwork for long-term business partnerships.
An Important Hub for North African Agriculture
In 2026, the Sahara International Agricultural Fair, a significant venue for the agricultural markets of Africa and the Middle East, will take place for the 38th time. Agricultural machinery, tractors, harvesting technologies, contemporary irrigation systems, water management, greenhouse technologies, seeds, fertilizers, plant protection, post-harvest systems, and agricultural digital technologies are just a few of the many products that will be gathered under one roof at the fair. According to the latest event data released by the fair organizer, Sahara Expo hosted 21,817 industry professionals, 350 exhibiting companies, and participants from 25 countries.
The program brought together over 200 high-level buyers from Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa; more than 450 bilateral business meetings were held, and international trade agreements exceeding $1.9 million were concluded. These figures demonstrate that Sahara Expo is not merely a product exhibition, but a business platform focused on direct trade connections and sales.
The need for efficient and modern mechanization is increasing in Egypt
With a population of approximately 118.4 million, Egypt, one of Africa’s largest consumer markets, places strategic importance on increasing food security, agricultural productivity, and production capacity. According to World Bank data, the country has approximately 3.1 million hectares of arable land; however, the per capita arable land remains at only 0.03 hectares. The share of the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector in the country’s economy was approximately 13.7 percent in 2024.
While intensive production in the Nile Valley and Nile Delta forms the basis of Egyptian agriculture, water scarcity and the fragmentation of agricultural land are among the sector’s main problems. According to the World Bank’s assessment, approximately 80 percent of agricultural enterprises in the country produce on land smaller than 1.5 hectares. The fact that agricultural production is largely dependent on irrigation and water from the Nile River further increases the need for modern irrigation and water efficiency technologies.
This structure points to significant market potential for Turkish producers in terms of water and energy-saving irrigation equipment, pumps, mechanization solutions suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, precision planting and fertilizing machines, harvesting machines, product processing and packaging lines, and digital agriculture applications.
Experience Acquired in Thailand to Be Applied in Egypt
The Egypt program is an extension of TARMAKBİR’s target market initiatives as part of its UR-GE projects. As part of the third UR-GE Project, TARMAKBİR hosted a trade mission in Thailand from July 22–25, 2025, which included nine Turkish companies. The event took place concurrently with the CIAME Asia Fair. In the Thailand program, industry representatives were contacted, discussions with the Turkish Embassy and Trade Attaché in Bangkok took place, and participating companies met with representatives of 23 distributor organizations in a specially designed B2B program.
The goal of the Egypt activity is to bring to the North African market the corporate connections, direct meeting experience with distributors, and target market research acquired in Thailand. TARMAKBİR hopes to establish long-term export relationships for the participating companies and raise the profile of Turkish agricultural machinery manufacturers in the North African, African, and Middle Eastern markets, particularly Egypt, through the first Overseas Marketing Activity of its 4th UR-GE Project.
