In a difficult season for Egyptian citrus, due to supply chain disruptions, some exporters were able to make up for the loss during the Ramadan period. This is the case for Citrus Agro, says its CEO Mahmod Allam.
Allam says, "The Ramadan period represents the busiest part of the season for the Valencia variety. During this period, our exports usually reach 4,000-5,000 tonnes. This year, given the situation in the region, we put a lot of effort into preparing for this phase."
"We had to prepare the supply for Ramadan very early, focusing on accessible markets in the Arab region and in some African markets. We are pleased to see that our efforts have paid off, despite the difficult market conditions, and we were able to deliver the same volumes as last year's Ramadan," says the exporter.
However, Allam says he faces insolvable problems in other markets. He explains, "The Red Sea crisis has had a serious impact on us. Transit times to some African markets now exceed 50 days, which customers simply haven't accepted. We made great commercial efforts to be able to continue delivering to Asian markets, given the increase in transport costs due to the crisis, and despite fluctuations in the Egyptian pound. However, some markets, such as India, did not accept our prices. As a result, many of our markets have not been loading our usual quantities to date."
The exporter concludes, "The impact differs from one exporter to another. In our case at Citrus Agro, we are lucky that our main market is Russia, which we continue to supply by direct vessel in 6 days transit time and without difficulty."
For more information:
Mahmod Allam
Citrus Agro
Tel: +20 128 397 5058
Email: sales@citrusagro.com
www.citrusagro.com