The Food Africa fair in Cairo is progressing into its second day. The most noticeable product at the stands is oranges, and according to several exhibitors, oranges are by far the most sought-after product by visitors in the fresh produce category, given the timing of the fair just before the launch of the Egyptian Navel orange season on December 15.
Mohamed Elbatal, CEO of El Heba, one of the exhibitors at the fair, believes that the upcoming orange season will be much more "normal" than the previous one, and that "the market will regain a great deal of stability." He explains, "Last season had all the ingredients of an exceptional and unstable season. Production was dominated by small sizes, the global industry of processed oranges was in turmoil, and the race to supply oranges was feverish. The rest is well known, with skyrocketing prices for Egyptian oranges that producers could never have dreamed of obtaining."
© El Heba Agricultural Development
This season, however, the situation is much calmer according to Elbatal, despite the surprising two-week delay in the export campaign. He adds, "Production will be higher than last season, particularly for Valencia oranges later in the season, where acreage has increased. We are also seeing a greater presence of large-sized Navel oranges and anticipate larger sizes in Valencia oranges as well. Most importantly, the orange concentrate industry has returned to normal, at a time when Brazil is starting to recover. The market will be stable overall, and prices will be fair for everyone, producers, exporters, and buyers."
The producer, who exports his own production to four continents, believes that all destinations for Egyptian oranges will be active and will pull large volumes this season. He adds, "I think the Asian market, especially East Asia, will recover and be much more dynamic than last season. China does not produce Valencia oranges, creating a shortage later in the season in several Asian markets. This is the decisive factor which, combined with a return to calm in terms of production and logistics, will contribute to the success of the campaign."
Several other Egyptian orange exhibitors at Food Africa expressed their relief this season and their expectation of a stable export year. However, their opinions differed on the decision to postpone the start of the season by two weeks, with some believing that it would spoil the pre-Christmas window, while others believed that it was still possible to secure enough pre-Christmas sales and that the postponement was necessary to stabilize prices and achieve consistent quality across all growers.
For more information:
Mohamed Elbatal
El Heba
+201063322846
[email protected]
