The Egyptian strawberry season started early this year, with a significant increase in acreage and supply, while quality issues reduced the proportion of exportable strawberries. According to several exporters, the start of the season was also marked by a drop in prices compared to last season.
El Sayed El Gohary, Egyptian strawberry grower, explains that many producers had a difficult planting period due to the quality of seedlings, which required vast replantings. He adds: "This problem mainly affected early production and involved plants imported into Egypt last year, and was accompanied by widespread presence of pests. We were able to remedy this through replanting and authorized biological and chemical treatments."
© El Sayed El Gohary
The producer explains the low prices at the start of the season by the poor quality of certain harvests and assures us that these prices will not dictate the rest of the season. He explains: "The strawberry harvest started earlier than usual this year, in October, while exports to Europe did not begin until mid-November. This led to an abundance of strawberries on the local market and a drop in prices. It should also be noted that the first exports to the Gulf countries were not of the best quality, which explains the low prices. Prices may be slightly lower than last season, but not as low as at the start of the season."
"Growers who have excellent quality, with good MRL results, will get good prices. For their part, buyers need to pay closer attention to the source of their strawberries this season," El Gohary continues.
© El Sayed El Gohary
The grower anticipates strong demand for fresh and frozen strawberries during the export season. "We are seeing strong demand. The fresh strawberry season will continue until January in Europe and until March in the Gulf countries, and the frozen strawberry season will start in February. At this pace, Egypt will certainly exceed 500,000 tons of strawberries exported this season."
In addition to fresh and frozen strawberries, a new export process is emerging in Egypt this season. El Gohary explains: "We are seeing the emergence of drying chambers this season. This is a high-demand sector, as dried strawberries are used in cooking and the food industry in many parts of the world. This process produces very sweet fruit and requires the use of high-quality strawberries with a high Brix level. Usually, Egyptian strawberries are sent to China to be dried and then re-exported, but this industry is being brought to Egypt starting this season. More than 30 drying chambers will be operational starting in January."
"We anticipate that drying will contribute significantly to sustained demand, as it absorbs large volumes, with 100 tons of dried strawberries requiring 1,000 tons of fresh strawberries," he concludes.
For more information:
El Sayed El Gohary
Marvel Farm
Tel: +201002496633
Email: [email protected]
