The Egyptian onion season hasn’t gone to plan so far. The yellow varieties did not do well on the market, with one exporter claiming they’ve only exported 20% of the stocks and will have to resort to the local market. The season for red onions has started as well, and due to a successful season with high prices at the conclusion of it, acreage for onions in Egypt has increased by 30%.
According to All Fresh Egypt founder Reda Ezz, the Egyptian onion season is very unlike the seasons that have gone before it: “The Egyptian onion season stared in February with the yellow variety, which grows in upper Egypt and arrived early due to suitable conditions, such as temperature and fertilized soil. But unfortunately, this year the Egyptian onion season is not like other years. More than 80% from the yellow yield is still stocked and has not been exported. This means we only exported about 20% from this variety to Russia and the rest of yield will have to be sold in the local market.”
After prices for red onions were rather high at the end of the season, acreage for onions in Egypt increased by about 30% overall, Ezz explains. “The red onion from Egypt is characterized by large sizes, a long shelf life and a dark red color. This is why importers from EU like this variety and large sizes are preferred in catering sector. Due to Covid-19, the demand is still lower than it would be normally. The acreage cultivated with onion in Egypt did increase by about 30% this year, as last season ended with high prices for red onions and India stopped the export of its onions for a while. This made growing red onions look a lot more attractive. All Fresh is one of growers that grow and export about 5000 metric ton every year from yellow and red onion, this year the demand dropped by about 70%.”
For more information:
Reda Ezz
All Fresh
Tel: +2016151498
Email: Reda@allfresh-eg.com