According to Ashraf Helmy, general manager of the firm, Egypt’s red onion acreage this year has remained at a similar level to previous seasons, and thus harvest volumes are expected to remain stable, despite the current rise in demand for Egyptian red onions in Iraq and Libya. For the first two to three weeks of the campaign, volumes will be smaller, which should push prices up.
In terms of expansion to new markets for Egyptian producers, most of the opportunities appear to be in Asia, with Egyptian red onions already being shipped to markets like Russia and India. Including yellow and red varieties, the country produce approximately 3 million tonnes of onions per season, of which around 60% corresponds to red onions.
For its part, Pharaonic Bioherb's own production comes from a total of 195 hectares of GlobalGap certified farms, from which the company expects a total production of 8,000 tonnes of red an yellow onions, of which 35% will be organic and 65% conventional. From this, 6,000 tonnes is selected, automatically graded and packed in its ISO 22000:2005 certified pack house that will be shipped to Europe, mainly to the Netherlands, but also to the UK, Austria and Germany and the first shipments are expected to arrive to Rotterdam on the first week of May.
Egyptian onions do not compete with European produce because the seasons do not overlap, and it is also the market where the highest prices are reached. First class quality onions are shipped to Europe packed in 25kg bags and in jumbo bags while the second quality ones are reserved for the Asian markets like Iraq where price is valued above quality.
The company’s management is very satisfied with Egypt’s overcoming of its political turmoil two years ago, as it has been beneficial for exporters and logistics operators. “In early February we started with the organic yellow onion shipments and everything is going smoothly. We ship from the ports of Alexandria, Damietta and Port Said and no problems have been registered so far, with ships leaving at the desired frequency, and thus the season’s prospects are very positive,” they affirmed.
For more information:
Pharaonic Bioherb
Tel: +2 02 226 226 81
Fax: +2 02 240 472 79
Email: info@pharoherb.com
www.pharoherb.com