The season for Egyptian citrus should commence in the first week of December. According to Ahmed Abdelhady of the export company Citrozone, there has been some delay due to slow coloring of the fruit. “We’re starting with a single shipment of only one or two containers. At the beginning of January, we should be able to send more.”Apart from the delay, Ahmed thinks the coming season should be great. “The volumes for Navel oranges are higher than last year. Last year we had a shortage, which had to to do with weather related issues. We also have similar volumes for Valencia oranges.”
Citrozone exports to eastern markets like Singapore, India, Indonesia and China. For the first time, the company is going to export citrus to the US. While the US usually produces enough citrus for its own market, the problems with the citrus sector in Florida have left a gap in the market for foreign companies like Citrozone to capitalize on. “Business has been going great in China as well,” adds Ahmed. “Chinese customers demand premium quality, so it’s a good market for Egyptian exporters.”
The main challenge for the Egyptian citrus sector has to do with price inflation. “In Egypt, all costs are increasing. This goes for everything from fuel costs to the prices of packaging, like cartons.”
Citrozone is a family business. Other than citrus, the company also works with produce like pomegranates, spring onions and sweet potatoes. The company is currently set to expand in locations outside of Egypt, such as the Netherlands. “All in all, it’s going to be a good season,” concludes Ahmed.
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