Late mango varieties, such as Keitt, are still available in Egypt, but at high prices, according to Walaa Elhabbal, CEO of Overview Trading Company. The exporter insists that the sale of the remaining late varieties is important in determining the success of a difficult season.
Elhabbal says: "We faced many challenges this season in the mango sector. Economic, environmental, and market factors. As the season is still in progress, it's still early for a conclusive assessment."
"The climatic impact has been severe. Last summer's extreme heat waves significantly affected the quality of the mango harvest, leading to premature ripening and sunburn on many fruits. This climatic stress is part of a wider trend of unpredictable weather conditions affecting Egyptian agriculture", the exporter explains.
He adds: "Demand has been fluctuating in a difficult economic context. We've been struck by inflation and rising agricultural input and production costs, which has eroded margins and profitability for mango growers".
Logistical complications have added to the exporters' troubles, Elhabbal says. "Ensuring consistent quality of exported mangoes was another obstacle. The hot weather increased spoilage rates and required additional resources to maintain the quality from harvest to export. These measures added to the already high production costs."
As a result, "Most Egyptian mango exporters were struggling this season with price competitiveness, as well as inconsistent demand in markets where prices remained low for most of the season."
Some markets were certainly dynamic for Egyptian mangoes, but insufficient to absorb the large volumes produced this year. Elhabbal lists them: "There was the Gulf region, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman being key markets. Egyptian mangoes were also popular in the UK this season."
According to other exporters, Russia and the Netherlands also absorbed significant volumes, saving the Egyptian mango season.
Elhabbal concludes, "We'll see how the rest of the season unfolds for the Keitt variety. If we've learned anything, it's that we need to make more efforts to penetrate other markets. I'm thinking in particular of the Chinese market."
Walaa Elhabbal
Overview Trading Company
Tel: +20 150 146 4725
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
www.overview-trading.com