delatty of Spica BV, the start of the Egyptian Citrus season was slightly delayed. “It began in late November 2017. This late start was because of the slow ripening of oranges in the early stage of the season”, he says. “The season took off right away, though, and, even before Christmas, there was already high demand for citrus.”“The slow Spanish season, caused by adverse weather conditions in the area, has driven up the demand for Egyptian oranges”, says Omar. “There is an increase in demand from countries such as Ireland, Denmark and Poland.”
Omar, Sales and Marketing Manager at this Rotterdam-based producer and importer of fruits and vegetables not native to the Netherlands, says Egyptian oranges prices have been affected by several factors. “Fluctuations in Egyptian economic conditions and local governmental regulations, where subsidies have been stopped, have had resulted in increased fuel prices”, he explains.
“Subsequently, there was a surge in labour and packaging material costs. This, in turn, affected the prices of Egyptian oranges. Added to this, the Ministry of Agriculture recently launched a campaign focusing on pest control. This is to bring the level of standards up to meet all the different demands and regulations.”
He goes on to say that Egyptian oranges are in demand in many countries across the globe. “These include the Netherlands Germany, Romania and Poland as well as China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Russia.” Spica also imports Navels and Valencia Citrus in all sizes according to seasonal availability.
Spica does not currently offer organic Citrus, but Omar says there are plans in the pipeline to do so in the future. They also supply frozen fruits, including pomegranates, grapes, and strawberries as well as vegetable such as spring onions, iceberg lettuce, green beans, sweet potatoes and green garlic, to mention but a few.
Fo
r more information: Omar Abdelatty
Spica BV
Phone: +31 (0) 10 7997437
Mobile: +31 (0) 64 0116303
Email: sales@spicabv.nl
www.spicabv.nl