When thinking of Egypt, the mango might not be the first exportable fruit that comes to mind. However the country produces over 200,000 tons of mangoes every year. The 2019 season is looking good, with satisfying volumes and good prices.
Amr Kadah is the CEO and agronomist of Egyptian exporter Fruit Kingdom. According to him, the Egyptian mango season is looking promising. “We’re looking at a very good production in terms of volumes. Egypt cultivates dozens of varieties, some local and some internationally known. The local varieties are affected by the weather conditions. Very high temperatures can lead to quality issues, but the foreign varieties are hardly ever affected by the weather. This is why these varieties are the best for export, as these also have the highest demand in the European Union. The harvest started in July and will continue until the end of the year. Prices are very competitive at the moment.”
The Egyptian mangoes find their way to multiple continents, says Kadah. “We usually export mangoes to Europe, the Middle East, Russia and some East Asian countries. We’ve been growing and exporting mangoes for over ten years, so now we want to increase our market share in multiple European countries and Africa. Last season we exported over 90 tons of mangoes as fresh produce, and another 120 tons of local mango varieties destined for the processing industry, which was also exported.”
Local varieties of mangoes
According to Kadah, Egypt’s location could be the key to beating the competition. “Our competition comes from Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, South Africa, India and Thailand. Fortunately these areas do not have the same harvesting period as Egypt does. On top of that we are much closer to the European market than the countries that also cultivate the mangoes. In order to meet the demands of this market, my goal is to change the way we pack our mangoes. Hopefully this will not only make our position in existing markets stronger, but also gain access to a couple of new markets.”
For more information:
Amr Kadah
Fruit Kingdom
Tel: +20 1009 288 377
Email: amr.kadah@mail.ru