The lime season in Egypt had taken off in spite of political unrest. For the Egyptian company The Egyptian Moroccan, the main problem with the domestic disturbances is that foreign importers are reluctant to order Egyptian produce.
“One problem is that most European traders aren’t even aware that limes exist in Egypt. They usually opt for limes from Argentina and Mexico. Which is sad, as Egyptian limes are tasty and are of great quality,” says Ahmed Rabie of The Egyptian Moroccan. The company supplies its limes exclusively to dealers in the Netherlands.
Apart from the competition from Argentina, competition between Egyptian companies is fierce as well. “This is bad luck for Egyptian citrus. The production volumes for Egyptian lemons are huge. Egyptian companies are competing on price, with European lemon importers getting all the market benefits. That is why we need more market share in the European market, explains Rabie.
“One problem is that most European traders aren’t even aware that limes exist in Egypt. They usually opt for limes from Argentina and Mexico. Which is sad, as Egyptian limes are tasty and are of great quality,” says Ahmed Rabie of The Egyptian Moroccan. The company supplies its limes exclusively to dealers in the Netherlands.
Apart from the competition from Argentina, competition between Egyptian companies is fierce as well. “This is bad luck for Egyptian citrus. The production volumes for Egyptian lemons are huge. Egyptian companies are competing on price, with European lemon importers getting all the market benefits. That is why we need more market share in the European market, explains Rabie.
The varieties that The Egyptian Moroccan supplies are Banzahir and Persian Seedless, which are produced the whole year round. Peak production takes place along with the orange season, from the beginning of December up to the end of May.
According to Ahmed Rabie, prices are somewhat profitable and stable. The main challenge lies with increasing market share in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe. “We wish the demand for Egyptian limes would grow. We’ve seen reports that the demand for limes is increasing and we’d like to be part of this trend. We’re not a big company that produces oranges in large volumes. We’re a medium company and we expect that demand for limes is going to increase even further in the future. So we’re very optimistic about limes.”
In a couple of weeks the Egyptian lemon season is going to have its official start. However, due to favourable weather conditions Egyptian traders already have volumes of lemons ready for export. “Our variety is the Adalia lemon and quality is very good. We export our lemons to Europe, with a small volume headed for Poland.
Though Egypt has seen some political unrest, the Egyptian citrus sector is hardly influenced by this. “The conflict is taking place near Israel, in a remote area far away from the citrus growers in the delta region. The only economical factor that bothers us is that the price of fertilizers has increased due to the devaluation of the Egyptian pound. Really, our main concern is getting in touch with more importers,” says Rabie in conclusion.
For more information:
Ahmed Rabie
The Egyptian Moroccan (Egypt)
Tel: 002048-2179248
Email: ahmed.mrabie@outlook.com