Four months after the first harvests, the Egyptian mango campaign is in full swing. Walid Sallam, quality and operations manager at MK Enterprise and Research Fellow at Huazhong Agricultural University in China shares his insights.
Walid said, "The campaign normally lasts from June to December in most regions of Egypt. We are currently at the peak of the export season. Overall, it's been a good season, better than last year, and we're sparing no effort to deliver our mangoes in the best possible condition."
Regarding volumes, "we have exceeded those of last year," says Walid. "The trend in mango volumes is a year-on-year increase. According to the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine, the exported Egyptian mango reached 76,470 tons last year. We are waiting for this year's figures but it is known that volumes have increased, lifting Egypt into the top 10 biggest mango exporters in the world. These quantities represent local varieties, such as Mabrouka, Oweesy, Sideeka, Zebdya, Naomy, Alfons, and Taymour; Moreover, the new techniques of grafting allowed Egypt to be the land of most global mango varieties like Keitt, Kent, Tommy, Nam Doc May, Chili, E2R2...etc".
The main destination for Egyptian mangoes this year is Saudi Arabia, adds Walid. "Exports to Saudi Arabia exceeded 34 thousand tons, a 60% growth compared to 2021, and a record in the Saudi market, which is showing high demand. Egyptian mangoes are also exported to European markets, Russia, Ukraine, UAE, Omar, Qatar and Lebanon.
As the season progresses, the biggest challenge for exporters is to maintain the same level of quality. "10-15% of volumes are lost as soon as the first harvest, due to bad handling and pre-maturation. At MK, we have succeeded in significantly reducing losses and maintaining good quality throughout the season, thanks to these measures:
- Designing strong disease protection programs following the global MRL standards.
- Avoid harvesting mango before physiological maturation.
- Avoid harvesting in high-temperature hours in the daytime.
- Provide soft handling and transportation from the farm to the packhouse.
- Use highly trained laborers for selection and packing.
- Finding adequate and unique ways and materials for packing.
- Keeping the proper cooled atmosphere.
Walid concludes: "Maturation in mango is the main spectrum for making the harvest decision, and we take it seriously every time we harvest to ensure a successful campaign. The color of the skin, the internal color of the flesh, the soluble solids content (SSC), and the firmness of the fruit are the main tools for deciding to harvest and start exporting in order to obtain high-quality exported mangoes that we can call proudly made in Egypt."
Walid Mabrouk Sallam
MK Enterprise for export
Tel: +2 01032167286 / +86 15623265182
Email: Walidsallam93@gmail.com / W.sallam@mkprise.com