Slow season for imported citrus in the UAE

The import market for citrus in the United Arab Emirates has seen a slow season. As the supply of Spanish oranges was deterred by quality issues and the severe frost in the beginning of the year, some importers opted for Egyptian produce instead.

“We’ve been getting our Valencia oranges from Egypt. We usually also import Navel oranges from Spain, but the quality wasn’t too good. The taste was sour, whereas consumers in our region prefer sweet fruit,” says Samel Saadedin of the Al Jabali Trading Group.

According to Samel, Egyptian Navel and Valencia oranges were a great alternative source. His company also sourced lemons and pomegranates from Turkey and imported kinnow mandarins from Pakistan. “The market for mandarins is quite good,” says Samel.

Though the prices from Egypt tend to be low, the market didn’t turn out to be that favorable for importers. Apart from supplying to wholesalers in the UAE, a large part of the revenue of Al Jabali is generated by re-exporting imported produce. “We’ve finished our season. Our company re-exports the imported citrus to countries like Oman and Qatar. However, as the prices for re-exported fruit were about the same as the ones for imported citrus, there wasn’t any profit margin to be had. All in all, the market for citrus has been slow, since January,” says Samel Saadedin in conclusion.