"There is no shortage of sweet potatoes this year," announces Mohamed Maatouk, CEO of the Egyptian Emirati food industries. "This season's volumes exceed last year's, to keep up with the growing demand for this produce."
The announcement comes to reassure importers of sweet potatoes, at a time when the main other origins, such as Spain, are experiencing supply disruptions, due to weather conditions. "Production conditions have been good overall in Egypt, and there has been an increase in acreage before the season and new growers have joined the industry.
At Egyptian Emirati, we dedicated a surface of 200 hectares to sweet potatoes this season, with a capacity to export 40 containers per week."
At present, demand comes mainly from the UK and Netherlands, the world's two biggest importers of sweet potatoes. But Egyptian exporters are expecting a global pick-up in demand in September, as summer ends and temperatures drop. "Sweet potatoes are a super food, with great nutritional value, and their consumption increases considerably in the winter," says the exporter.
In particular, Egyptian exporters are anticipating a recovery in the Middle East market, including the Gulf States, where demand is usually strong but is slow at the start of this season.
Prices for Egyptian sweet potatoes started at a record high compared with the beginning of the previous season, only to fall back again. This prompted some growers in some regions in Egypt to suspend harvesting this week, in order to control volumes on the market and stimulate prices.
Maatouk concludes, "The quality of Egyptian sweet potatoes is really good this year, including the sizes. We are committed to providing a high-quality product, safe for consumers, and in compliance with international quality and food safety standards. In this respect, I would remind you that at Egyptian Emirati, we are ISO 9001, ISO 22000, Global Gap and GRASP certified.
For more information:
Mohamed Maatouk
Egyptian Emirati
Tel/WhatsApp: : +201221228020
Email: [email protected]
www.Egyptian-emirati.com