As the Egyptian carrot season gets underway, more and more growers are reporting a good harvest in terms of volume and quality, as well as a major shift in demand - particularly from Europe - towards Egypt. This is confirmed by Zayed Lasheen, CEO of AfriGoodGrows and producer of Egyptian carrots.
Lasheen tells FreshPlaza: "The carrot harvest has been excellent this year and we are recording very good volumes. I estimate that volume is up 50% on last season, which allows us to achieve economies of scale and be even more competitive in terms of pricing."
The export carrot industry is new to Egypt and has gained ground since the war in Eastern Europe and rising energy costs in Europe, adds Lasheen: "The carrot sector is a major energy consumer, which has led many European countries to favor imports over local production. Egypt stood out in this context thanks to low production costs but above all superior quality."
This season, too, "the quality is excellent", says Lasheen. "We grow carrots in sandy desert soil, which means we have nematode-free harvests and strong carrots that don't break easily. We grow the most popular varieties, such as F1 varieties and Jerada. The quality of the soil also enables us to achieve high yields, reaching 30 tons per acre."
Egypt's emergence in the carrot market puts it ahead of the major producers of this crop, such as Australia, Spain, Turkey, and Israel, says the grower. He adds, "Egypt has a significant competitive advantage. Our production costs are much lower, which allows us to offer our carrots with a price difference of up to 40%. We also have a large production capacity in terms of volume, not to mention the stable climate and security in Egypt."
Among Egyptian growers and exporters, AfriGoodGrow in turn enjoys competitive advantages, says Lasheen: "We have kept pace with the rise in demand by increasing our acreage to reach 170 hectares harvested this season. Above all, we have invested by purchasing a hydrocooler and a vega polisher from a well-known manufacturer and upgrading our line to a capacity of 3-6 tons per hour. We also invested in cold storing equipment, as carrots need to be stored at temperatures between 0 and 3 degrees Celsius."
Demand for Egyptian carrots is currently high, particularly from the UK, the Netherlands, Russia, and France, according to Lasheen. "However, we are seeing less demand than expected from the Gulf countries, African countries and Jordan."
"Demand for Egyptian carrots is not circumstantial, and will not decline if energy costs improve in Europe," concludes Lasheen, "Now that the international market has discovered our carrots, I think Egyptian origin will remain a major source as in other crops."
For more information:
Zayed Lasheen
AfriGroodGrow
Tel: +420 739 019 060
Email: z.lasheen@afrigoodgrow.com
www.afrigoodgrow.com