The Egyptian potato campaign got underway a few weeks ago, with volume estimates provided by growers on the rise. According to several concordant statements, potato acreage in the country has increased significantly, and despite a drop in yield, volumes at the national level are expected not to fall below the 6.5 million tonne mark.
A reliable indicator of this season's production volumes is the volume of seed potatoes imported by Egypt. Last year, Egypt imported 116 thousand tons of seed potatoes, slightly less than the average for the previous five seasons. If we take the 2020/2021 season as a reference, 111 thousand tons of seeds were imported, for an estimated production of 6.9 million tons according to FAO Stat.
For this season, the volume of potato seeds imported by Egypt has increased significantly. Ahmed-Sameh ElDomiaty, President of Domiatec, the leading importer of free and protected potato seeds in Egypt, says "Egypt imports between 110,000 and 150,000 tons of potato seeds every year. These imported seeds are essential for the production of potatoes for processing and consumption. Due to high demand this season, the Agricultural Crops Seeds Committee has issued authorizations for a total of 238,000 tons for 103 companies. Actual imports could be less than the approved volume."
The decrease in seed imports last season was due to quality issues in Europe, according to ElDomiaty. He says: "During the previous season, the availability of high-quality seed potatoes from Europe declined. This decrease was attributed to factors such as unfavorable weather conditions and a reduction in the area devoted to seed potato cultivation in key European countries. This season has also been difficult, but overall it has been better than last season".
ElDomiaty concludes: "We have our own testing protocol and varietal selection program in cooperation with our partners in Europe. We also have our own variety portfolio which contains varieties for all segments fresh, processing, export, and baby."
For more information:
Ahmed-Sameh ElDomiaty
Domiatec
Email: seldomiaty@mdgroup.com.eg
Ola Samir
Email: osamir@mdgroup.com.eg
www.domiatec.com