The Egyptian soft citrus season began in November with satisfactory demand. Professional sources had then indicated a high pace of exports to Europe, the Gulf countries, and Russia.
However, the current trend is downward, and demand is not up to exporters' expectations. So says Mahmoud Esawy from the Egyptian company Citrus Agro.
Esawy says, "Demand for mandarins is not the best we're used to. All markets are slow with the exception of the Gulf countries."
On the other side of the Red Sea, a Saudi importer declared in late 2024 that the Gulf countries were well supplied with mandarins by Morocco and Spain and that importers in the region were waiting for the arrival of Egyptian mandarins to change the trend. Esawy comments, "This is indeed the case at the moment, with Egyptian mandarins dominating the Saudi Arabian market."
The exporter adds, "On the other hand, the competition is not working to our advantage elsewhere, at a time when Morocco is taking the big share of African markets, and Turkey is taking the European and Russian markets."
"Turkey has the advantage in European markets thanks to the convenience of transport, and importers prefer that. It's the same for Morocco in West Africa," he continues.
According to Esawy, Egyptian exporters are looking forward to the rest of the season, which runs until March. "The late varieties give us a chance to catch up, Morocco would have finished its season by then. We'll be able to finish the season with more shipments to African markets."
"Prices aren't helping either, with Egyptian mandarins recording an average 20% increase on the previous season," Esawy concludes.
For more information:
Mahmoud Esawy
Citrus Agro For Packing And Exporting Agriculture Crops
Tel: +201114061313
Email: [email protected]
www.citrusagro.com
