With the demand for Egyptian garlic rising through the roof, it’s a good thing one exporter has doubled their production this year. It has led to a good season for the company. Challenges in logistics seem to be less prevalent in Egypt, as the exporter states they’ve been able to export their produce to any location they wanted.
The Egyptians are satisfied with their garlic season. Although the pandemic has caused its challenges, it has also brought opportunities for Egyptian fresh produce exporter El Rawan, says export specialist Gehan El Sherif: “The garlic season has been near perfect when it comes to demand, the Egyptian garlic has taken advantage of the opportunities this season. This advantage has made this season significantly better than the last one.”
A lot of companies have not been able to continue their exports due to the coronavirus. Although El Rawan had to slow down, they’re still able to export the same volumes, El Sherif explains. “The challenges this season are not like they normally are, as the world is facing the coronavirus. Most companies have stopped their operations completely, as for El Rawan, we have kept our operations running at 50 per cent. However, we’ve managed to maintain the same export capacity and are still able to send the product to far destinations without losing its high quality.”
“Thanks to our expansion, in which we gained multiple farms this season, we’ve doubled our production of dry garlic this season. Our other exportable produce, like potatoes, white beans, oranges and onions have had their production increased by 50 per cent. The countries that mainly import our Egyptian garlic are Russia, Romania, Poland, Croatia and Montenegro. However for the future I’m looking for export opportunities in South Africa, Brazil, Australia and countries in the Far East.”
Other countries are having significant problems with the logistics of their operation, but Egypt seems to have been spared this problem. El Sherif states they’ve had no issues getting their produce on the vessels: “We have faced little issues when it comes to our forwarders providing us with containers. So we’ve been able to export to any market we had orders from. Distance was not a hindering factor either. Prices for Egyptian garlic more than doubled this season due to the coronavirus and the suspension of Chinese garlic exports. Demand skyrocketed because of this and prices rose accordingly. I do believe that in the upcoming months the market will stabilize and go back to normal. Not just for garlic, but any produce,” she concludes.
For more information:
Gehan Elsheref
El Rawan
Tel: +20 109 985 0716
Email: gehanelsherif@rawan.com.eg
www.elrawan.com.eg