Egyptian cherry tomato exports to Europe remain limited by competition from other origins such as Morocco. Mohamed Awwad, CEO of Al Awwad for Import and Export, says: "We are trying to grab market share from Moroccan exporters, and we're doing quite well since our exported volumes to Europe have remained stable over the last few seasons."
The Egyptian grower and exporter adds, "We're counting on key advantages, such as our more competitive prices, high yields reaching 40-46 tonnes per hectare per season, and the absence of phytosanitary problems such as Tuta Absoluta or ToBRFV, as is the case in Morocco. The seasonality is also suitable for the European market, with an export campaign running from December to April."
According to Awwad, demand for Egyptian cherry tomatoes currently comes largely from Eastern Europe. He adds, "Given the current market configuration where Egypt is not yet a major player, we plant exclusively in accordance with the customer's request ahead of the season. We deliver to Eastern Europe via Koper as the transit time is shorter. If we find interested buyers in Western Europe, I think we can deliver there via RO-RO within one week."
The grower concludes, "So far we've exported our cherry tomatoes to wholesalers and the results have been good, enabling us to stabilize production volume over the last two seasons and maintain a good relationship with our customers. Our cherry tomatoes are good quality and range in size from a thumb tip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from being spherical to slightly oblong in shape."
For more information:
Mohamed Awwad
Al Awwad for import and export
Tel: +201115555071
Email: ceo@alawwad-eg.com
www.alawwad-eg.com