The Egyptian garlic season has started, with the first shipments of green garlic already shipped out via sea. Volumes are higher this year, and quality has improved since last season. According to one Egyptian exporter, this is due to farmers getting more experience with cultivating, keeping global quality standards in mind.
According to Mohamed Abdelaziz, operations manager at Egyptian fresh produce exporter Tomna, Egyptian’s garlic quality is getting better every year: “This upcoming garlic season seems to be very promising for the Egyptian garlic, as the quality of the crop looks very good in the field during the start of the green garlic season. I believe that this year we will see better garlic quality than before, as farmers and packers are getting more acquainted with the global quality standards. Volumes of garlic farmed for this year are also higher compared to last year.”
As it is the start of the season, demand isn’t very strong right now, but is expected to increase as the season progresses, Abdelaziz explains. “Demand right now is slowly picking up as we are still at the start of the season. Green garlic shipments via sea will start this week, with destinations in Russia and Europe. Demand will progress as we advance in the season. For our company, the main markets for garlic are Russia, the Netherlands, Poland, USA, Canada and the Middle East.”
Abdelaziz is expecting a much more stable garlic season than it was last year, as the pandemic hit the world: “For Tomna, we will enter the Brazilian market this year, as well as expanding our footprints in the North American markets. These markets are promising for Egyptian garlic and our quality can now compete with other origins. Prices right now are rather high as the season is just starting, but the prices will decrease in the coming few weeks, when most farms mature and are ready to harvest, leading to better availability. In comparison to last year, which was more turbulent than this year, prices this year are expected to be more constant. Egyptian garlic is getting a lot of attraction from global markets, so there are a lot of opportunities waiting for us!” he concludes.
For more information:
Mohamed Abdelaziz
Tomna
Tel: +20 12 2241 9382
Email: info@tomna.farm
www.tomna.farm