A little over a month ago, the world looked entirely different for Egyptian citrus exporters. Demand has shifted, and not just from European countries. There are more than enough other markets where demand for fruits containing Vitamin C has also increased.
Demand for citrus has always shifted depending on different market situations, but the coronavirus has turned things upside down, says Mostafa Adel, international sales manager for Egyptian fresh produce exporter MMA Fresh Produce. “It’s a strange citrus season. Sales and marketing plans have changed because of coronavirus. There’s a very high demand from Europe for lemons and oranges. Even though the Spanish season is going on simultaneously, Egypt has sold big quantities to Europe. The highest demand for our produce currently originates from Gulf countries. The reason is the shortages of onions and citrus in those countries. However, we also have a new market in Brazil after the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture managed to put in a protocol for Egyptian citrus. Russia is another country that is importing more citrus this season.”
Adel had hoped to start exporting his citrus to the United States soon, but this has proven too early, as there are no protocols in place for fresh citrus from Egypt: “Egyptian citrus can be exported all over the world, but the US food safety standards currently only accept frozen food from Egypt. There is no import of fresh food allowed, as there is no protocol for that as of now. We hope this will be changed soon, so we can start shipping our fresh produce to USA, especially in this situation of the coronavirus crisis.”
Although demand isn't a problem, some markets have simply closed or business is a lot more difficult. On top of that there's a shortage when it comes to reefer equipment: “The biggest challenge is reaching new markets to replace those markets that completely stopped buying our produce. There’s also the challenge with logistics at the moment, as there is a reefer equipment shortage. Up until now there has been no reason to start selling our produce to the local market. However it’s expected that if the coronavirus remains a problem for more than two months, we’ll have to resort to this as more markets will close for our produce.”
Adel is a firm believer the world will come out of this situation stronger, but feels strong cooperation between countries is required for business to continue. “I did some research on the past experiences of global pandemics the world has faced, and only cooperation between countries can keep business health in a situation like this. I do believe that in the next couple of months Egyptian exports will have some opportunities like we’ve never had before in the trade of fresh produce.” he concludes.
For more information:
Mostafa Adel
MMA Fresh Produce
Tel: +20 114 271 7700
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mostafa-adel-98a25040
www.linkedin.com/company/mma-fresh-produce
