Rijk Zwaan helps transform vegetable market in Egypt

With 92 million people that need to be fed every day, Egypt is a big market offering plenty of opportunities to companies active in the agricultural sector. One such company is Rijk Zwaan. The breeding company takes part in the country’s transition from low to high value vegetables.

The consumption habits in Egypt are changing. The country’s latest nutrition trend - dieting and eating healthy food - causes a rise in the demand for high quality fruits and vegetables. Rijk Zwaan anticipates this demand by offering vegetable varieties suitable to the local climate. “Egypt does not import a lot of vegetables. Almost all vegetables are produced in the country itself. By offering high quality hybrid seeds, fully adapted to local circumstances, we enable growers to meet the rising market demand”, explains Tarek El-said, Managing director of Rijk Zwaan Egypt. At our R&D station located in Ismalia, we execute a tailor-made program testing new varieties that can withstand the climate conditions and are resistant to local diseases. As the weather in Egypt is representative for the Middle East region, the varieties can also be successfully cultivated in the neighbouring countries.”

Transition to high value products
Currently, a big share of the local market still works with low value seeds. However, the transition to hybrid, high value seeds has started. “Big farms and exporters are aware of the value of using hybrid seeds and the expected higher yield”, says Tarek El-said. “They are convinced by the extra benefits and are willing to pay a higher price in order to ultimately increase their revenues. Once these revenues become transparent, we expect other growers to follow their example and also adopt new technologies in order to increase their return on investment. At Rijk Zwaan we are excited to support growers in this transition process.”

Local collaboration
During the MENA field days, organized in the beginning of May, Rijk Zwaan showcased its existing and new varieties. “We organize the field days every three years and this was the first edition in Egypt. Many customers and distributors from Egypt and the Middle East took the trip. During the event, we informed them about our test results and discussed cultivation methods and challenges. It’s been very inspiring. We are looking forward to enhance our collaboration with the local companies to provide the Egyptian market, as well as other Middle Eastern countries, with appealing and healthy vegetables”, Tarek El-said concludes.

For more information:
Rijk Zwaan
Burgemeester Crezéelaan 40
2678 KX De Lier
Netherlands
T +31 174 532 300
info@rijkzwaan.com
www.rijkzwaan.com