Egyptian garlic producers have begun harvesting, with a demand tempo that is not particularly exceptional, according to Anthony Mina, CEO of the Egyptian producer E2M.
"We are currently harvesting until next week, and we have started the process of drying part of our crops while exporting fresh garlic to EU markets," said Anthony.
According to the producer, demand is currently quite good: "The demand for fresh garlic and dry garlic is alright, but it is not huge. For dry garlic, we have confirmed orders for about 70 percent of our target capacity for the season."
"I think we'll have enough supply to meet the market's needs unless things change and we suddenly have a lot of requests," adds Anthony. On the things that may change ... "the Taiwanese market, for example, is currently struggling due to issues with the Argentinian garlic, which was rejected by Taiwanese customs."
"The Canadian market is a bit slower than expected," Anthony adds, "We will have more visibility on U.S. and Australian demand by next week. Brazilian buyers are looking for lower prices, which are not available at the moment.".If this level of demand remains stable, prices will also remain stable throughout the season, according to the producer. "Prices are currently around $1.4/KG FOB for small sizes and around $1.9/KG FOB for large sizes."
For now, Egypt has no competition in the garlic market: "The season is over in Argentina and Chile, and has not yet started in Spain." The producer had announced earlier this year that the volume of Egyptian garlic would fall by 50% this year, a normal decline that follows the cycle of decreasing volumes which occurs every two years.
For more information:
Mina Anthony
E2M
Tel: +201271227787
Email: m.anthony@e2m-eg.com
www.e2m-eg.com