The Egyptian grape season is about to get going. Some of the grape traders will feel like they’re on a timer, as the post-Ramadan feast Eid al-Fitr will start on the 23rd of May. Prices are expected to drop shortly after that.
It’s about to get busy in the Egyptian grape industry, as the season will begin shortly. According to Abdullah Tharwat, business development manager at Pyramids, there will be some competition to sell the produce as quickly as they can: “The grape season starts in the third week of May. The season will begin with the early varieties Sweet, Prime and Flame. The weather has been unstable, but this season we’re about to ship our first container already, seven days earlier from the previous season! All the Egyptian companies will compete to supply their customers’ orders before the 23rd of May, because that’s when the post-Ramadan ‘Eid al-Fitr’ feast will begin. The price of grapes in the farms is around $1.26 per kilo, however it’s expected that this price will go down after the Eid al-Fitr Feast.”
The grapes of Pyramids will mostly find their way to Europe, although some Asian and African markets are also targeted, Tharwat explains. “Our main markets are United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia and also several African countries, we minimize our volumes in Netherlands as the price in their market is not stable. Last season we shipped about 2000 tons; this season we’ll be increasing our export volumes by 20 per cent, so an extra 400 tons.”
Dealing with the pandemic has been difficult, especially in terms of ensuring their workers’ safety, Tharwat states: “The biggest challenge was to maintain the balance of the company during the difficult conditions that the world is going through. This means we were concerned for the quality of the farms and the health and safety of workers in the company, so we highly focused on the safety procedures of Covid-19. In our warehouses and farms this started with regularly washing your hands, wearing gloves and wearing masks.”
For more information:
Abdullah Tharwat
Pyramids Agricultural Investment Co.
Tel: +20 100 502 7256
Email: Abdallah@pyramids-agriculture.com
www.pyramids-agriculture.com