There was an early harvest for the Egyptian garlic this season, which has led to smaller sizes this year. Demand is relatively high though, and one exporter feels the early harvest will give them the advantage on Spain, where the season starts around the start of May.
The Egyptian garlic season has started and according to Amr Kadah, CEO of Egyptian produce exports Fruit Kingdom, they had an early harvest this year: “Garlic is one of the oldest plants known in Egypt, where it was found inscribed on the temples of the Pharaohs. Egypt has a high comparative advantage in the productivity of this crop. The Egyptian garlic season started in early February, the overall sizes were small due to the early harvest. Fruit Kingdom grows Crimson garlic and strawberries in fields side by side, all of my 3000 hectares of strawberries also have garlic growing in them.”
Kadah expects the Egyptian garlic export volumes to increase by about 30% this year. “Egypt exported more than 35,000 tons of garlic in 2020. The export of fresh crimson and white garlic this month is in full swing, I think we’ll see high demand at the start of April, when the garlic is completely dry. I expect the garlic exports for this season to increase by about 30% compared to last season due to the high demand for it and the high quality of the product. Especially since we’re opening new markets for Egyptian garlic, such as the Indonesian market.”
Brazil has been an important market for Egyptian citrus. Kadah emphasizes the same can be said for the garlic, which also finds its way to the Brazilian market: “The Egyptian garlic crop has gained great importance in the Brazilian market, despite the recent presence of the crop and its entry into the market for the first time in August 2019. The Brazilian market is considered one of the important markets for Egypt, as it is a huge market, both for Egyptian garlic and oranges.”
Kadah is proud of what Egypt has achieved in terms of produce quality over the past few years. He states they’re able to handle any harsh specification requirements for the largest markets. “Egyptian agricultural produce can be found in most of the countries in the world now, including European and American markets. These two regions place harsh technical specifications on their imports of food commodities, which we’re able to handle. Garlic exports have witnessed a large increase recently, due to the increase in demand for health purposes, as consumers try to eat healthy foods to increase their immune system.”
The fact that Egypt had an early harvest could give Egypt the advantage over the competition, Kadah explains: “Currently, Egypt exports garlic to Arab countries, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. But the biggest demand originates from Taiwan, Netherlands and Brazil, as well as Vietnam and Australia. Prices are similar to last season, despite the high demand. The most prominent competitors to Egyptian garlic are China and Spain, but Egypt should have the advantage due to the quality, taste, location and the early harvest, as the Spanish garlic export season begins at the start of May every year. All these factors help to meet the needs of buyers from Europe, Asia and the Americas.” he concludes.
For more information:
Amr Kadah
Fruit Kingdom for Export
Tel: +20 100 928 8377
Email: [email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/amr-kadah
