“The Egyptian citrus season for Jaguar started mid-December this season. The start of the Valencia season was earlier than we were used to. Normally, we start loading in week five, but this year we received the first ones in February. Last year, the season also started two weeks earlier. The shift of the season could be due to changes in variety. A few years ago, the Navel season lasted much longer than nowadays, so that the shift to Valencia in the warehouse is currently made sooner,” says Christian de Haas, purchasing manager of Jaguar. “The shift in seasons isn’t necessarily favourable. When the season starts to early, there’s still plenty of supply from Spanish Salustianas, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for Egyptian citrus.”
Tangerines from Egypt are still relatively new on the market. Jaguar started focusing the attention of their partners on tangerines a few years ago, and the first volumes will become available this year. “These are some of the first tangerines from Egypt, but they’re good products,” Christian says.
Quality
The share of Egyptian oranges is increasing and is starting to find its place on the European market. “The quality of the citrus is getting better every year, and is now just as good as Spanish citrus,” Christian continues. Egyptian growers are innovating and make sure quality in the fields is getting better and better. Jaguar invests by means of deploying quality inspectors who work with the Egyptian growers to make improvements every year. “We try to improve the quality of the citrus on every level. Jaguar ensures the products meet a certain quality before they’re exported. From pallet to packaging, from product to certification level, everything has to be of good quality.”
Prices
“This year, the Valencia oranges are smaller than in previous years, and prices for category one oranges are around 7 or 8 euro right now,” says Damon Duivenvoorde, import/export manager of Frukar. The larger-sized oranges (sizes 40 to 64) are not widely available in Europe, and prices are rapidly rising. In week nine, prices were around €9, and in week ten they were €10-€11. Prices increased because the prices of larger sizes of Spanish oranges increased. “The prices of category two bins are between 33 and 40 cent per kilo in week ten,” Damon says. “The brix-value of Valencia oranges is between 10 and 13. This is currently acceptable for supermarkets.”
“The price level of Egyptian citrus is lower than that of Spanish citrus, because Egyptians can still produce at lower costs compared to the Spaniards. The citrus that is exported to Northern Europe is shipped by boat, while the citrus from Spain is exported via lorry to Northern Europe. Transport via water is cheaper than via roads,” Christian says. “The quality of the Egyptian citrus isn’t as high as that of the Moroccan or Spanish citrus, but the market for citrus is very much driven by price. We’ve seen consumers in supermarkets reaching for Egyptian citrus because it’s cheaper and has a longer shelf life,” Damon says.
Central position
For Jaguar, Egypt is an important export country, because the company has an office in China, and demand for Egyptian citrus is increasing in China. Besides China, Egyptian citrus is also popular in Russia, Africa and the Middle East. The position of Egypt is very favourable for export to the Middle East and Africa. “Because Egypt has such a favourable position, Morocco and Spain are probably aware the Egyptian citrus sector is increasing. Egyptian citrus is also appreciated more and more in Europe. An increasing number of retailers now also purchase Egyptian citrus in addition to Spanish citrus. Spanish and Moroccan citrus has been on the market much longer than Egyptian citrus, but these countries will have to hand over some of their market share to Egypt,” Christian says.
Short season
It’s expected the Egyptian season will be shorter. This is due to the heat in Egypt. “It’s warm throughout both the day and the night, which means the season will be shorter than a regular season. Frukar is expected to import the final containers of Valencia oranges early in June,” Damon concludes.
For more information:
Jaguar
Christian de Haas
Jaguar
Christian de Haas