Water is vital to maintaining Egypt's position as a producer and exporter of, among other things, fresh fruit and vegetables. Nile water plays a crucial role in this. Hopefully the Nile will continue to provide Egypt with enough water. Even after the new dam in Ethiopia has been taken into use. The agricultural sector is the largest water consumer in Egypt with 80%, in a country where for the most part per year only a few tens of mm falls. In the Nile Delta this is higher at 200 mm, but not nearly enough.
3 to 4 million tonnes per year
All water management makes it possible for Egypt to be a major exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the available statistics are not all equally reliable. UN Comtrade is has
an export of just under 4 million tonnes. Based on import data from all countries, this amounted to almost 3 million tonnes throughout 2019. That is quite a big difference. The exports are likely closer to 3 than 4 million tonnes. The text of this analysis is therefore largely based on mirror data. In addition to mirror data, the tables in the appendix also include UN Comtrade data.
The value of Egypt's fresh fruit and vegetable exports is estimated to be approximately $ 1.7 billion in 2019. That is 6% of the total Egyptian goods exports of $ 30.6 billion. Egypt imported nearly 300,000 tonnes of apples in 2019. Especially from Poland, Italy and Greece. And also smaller quantities, such as plums, peaches and kiwis.
Mainly oranges
Egypt is a major orange exporter. Based on import data from all countries, this concerns approximately 1.4 million tonnes. With that amount, Egypt plays well on the world market for oranges. The Egyptian export season for oranges starts around the turn of the year and continues until the beginning of July with a peak in March-May. During that period, Egyptian oranges in the EU had a share of over 20%. Spain dominates the EU market with a share of more than half. In total, 210,000 tonnes of oranges from Egypt were imported into the EU throughout 2019. That was less than the 255,000 tonnes in 2018. In the Netherlands, 117,000 tonnes of Egyptian oranges were imported in 2019 compared to 136,000 tonnes in the previous year. This year, 20% more Egyptian oranges were imported into the Netherlands in the first four months than in the same period of 2019.
Russia is the main buyer of South African oranges. In 2019 it was 266,000 tonnes. In the first four months of this year, exports to Russia have been considerably smaller. Turkey, on the other hand, was able to deliver more to Russia. Saudi Arabia is the second largest buyer of Egyptian oranges. China has also rapidly become an important customer. Including Hong Kong, this concerns an amount of 265,000 tonnes. Incidentally, Egypt exports oranges to a large number of countries.
Also a lot of onions, especially last year
Onions are the second major Egyptian export product. Last year, Egyptian onions were in high demand and 570,000 tonnes could be exported. According to Comtrade, it would even have been 825,000 tonnes. Saudi Arabia is the main customer. In 2019, large quantities were exported to Sierra Leone for the first time. More than 1,000,000 tonnes, according to Comtrade. The Netherlands, Turkey, Russia
and the United Kingdom are also major buyers of Egyptian onions. Egyptian onions also go to a large number of countries.
Grapes mainly to Europe
Grapes are also an important product for Egypt. More than 130,000 tonnes were shipped abroad last year. This product mainly goes to Europe with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as the main direct customers. Outside Europe, Russia and South Africa are important buyers of Egyptian grapes.
More and more sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a growing product for Egypt. At least 80,000 tonnes were exported last year. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are the main customers. Egyptian beans have been coming to Europe for years. In total, Egypt exports approximately 30,000 tonnes of fresh green beans per year. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are the main customers. According to Comtrade, more than 80,000 tonnes of strawberries were exported last year. Saudi Arabia and Syria in particular bought a lot. Belgium and Germany are the main buyers of Egyptian strawberries in Europe.
Processed product also exported
In addition to fresh produce, Egypt also exports a fair amount of processed fruit and vegetables. Last year, Egypt exported more than $ 600 million in processed fruit and vegetables: $ 220 million of fruit and $ 380 million of vegetables. This mainly concerns frozen products.
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For more information:
Jan Kees Boon
Fruit and Vegetable Facts
fruitvegfacts@gmail.com
www.fruitandvegetablefacts.com