Egyptian producers and exporters of garlic are about to kick off the 2023/2024 season with high spirits, amidst favorable conditions for Egyptian production, says Mohamed Shaaban, CEO of Garlico.
"Everything points to a good season. The harvest is going serenely, and the quality and sizes are good, even better than last year, with nice shapes and larger cloves. The weather and the water supply were also very good; there were no heavy rains. The phytosanitary conditions are perfect, and the production is free of pesticides and heavy metals. Also, the supply chain has been much improved and stabilized compared to the previous year. The logistics are comfortable and have not experienced any price increase."
In terms of volumes, there will be 20% less than last year, Shaaban said: "However, we will export less green garlic than before; dry garlic will remain stable with sufficient quantities. The decrease in volumes is due to the conversion of several growers from garlic to other crops because of the complexities encountered last year with production costs."
Garlico will market both red and white garlic, in Chinese shapes and big cloves, according to the producer. "We have the sizes 40/50/60/70/75mm with good percentages for each size. The most available are the 50-60mm with 65%."
Egyptian producers will launch the garlic campaign while there is no competition in the market: "We will enjoy 2 months without competition in the international market. From June to August, China will enter the market but we remain confident. We have more advantageous customs tariffs than China in the destinations where we export in mass. For example, we export to Brazil at 13% customs tax while China exports there at 33%."
The main destinations for Egyptian garlic are Brazil, the USA, and Canada, which have a high demand for dry garlic, according to Shaaban, followed by Taiwan and Europe with a stable and medium demand, and finally Greece, Palestine, and Poland with lower volumes of green garlic.
Regarding prices, Shaaban says, "Prices are currently and briefly at the same level as last year. But towards the end of Ramadan, the prices will surely increase as the quantities decrease," he concludes, "We offer the possibility of quality inspection through companies like SGS for customers who wish to receive quality reports."
For more information:
Mohamed Shaaban
Garlico Egypt
Tel/Whatsapp: +20 111 309 5812
Email: mohamed.shaaban@garlico-eg.com
www.garlico-eg.com