Egyptian date exporters, like all major date-origin countries in the world, benefit from a very active market in the run-up to Ramadan. This season brings changes in the origins and destinations of this tropical fruit, influenced by climatic and economic factors.
Abdelrahman Ali, date category lead at Egypt's Alamir Group, shares the main trends in Egyptian markets: "We are seeing strong demand as Ramadan approaches. The Egyptian varieties most in demand on the market are oasis dates, with very buoyant destinations, notably Indonesia."
"On the other hand, demand is slower than expected from countries such as Kazakhstan," Ali continues.
"In terms of production, the volumes and quality of Egyptian dates are moderately significant this season," the exporter adds.
Several industry sources in Morocco report that Egyptian exports have gained ground in the Moroccan market this season, to the detriment of Tunisia and Algeria. To recall, Morocco is the world's second-largest importer of dates, with 9.2% of global volumes, behind India. Ali comments, "We see that the Moroccan market prefers wadi dates from Egypt over any other type this season."
The strengthened position of Egyptian dates on the Moroccan market is due to difficulties in Tunisia, such as the drop in production and quality concerns caused by excessive rainfall during the harvest period. The market has also been impacted by the diplomatic rupture between Morocco and Algeria, reducing volumes from the latter. On Moroccan social networks, several calls for the boycott of Algerian dates are being shared ahead of Ramadan.
Ali says, "The Moroccan market chooses its date sources using barriers to entry like customs. This season, this has meant that Lybian dates have entered the Moroccan market late. It also explains why Saudi dates, such as the Sokary variety, transit to Morocco via Egypt."
Egyptian exporters can sustain this trend and increase their exports to Morocco in the coming seasons, according to Ali: "Sustainability lies in variety diversification and price stability. The quality of Egyptian dates is also an argument, a quality incomparable with traditional Moroccan suppliers."
For more information:
Abdelrahman Ali
Alamir Group
Tel: +201221225560
Email: info@alamireg.com
www.alamireg.com