3/5 Egypt's Agricultural Exports Ripe for World Markets

Egypt's Agricultural Exports Ripe for World Markets

Egyptian fruit and vegetables now look cheap and attractive to foreign buyers, exporters said.

“Demand has doubled, with every product gaining one or two markets,” said Mostafa al-Naggari, Chairman of Fresh Fruit Co, which recently signed deals to ship to China and is finalizing others with Australia, New Zealand and Korea.

Egypt has secured a $12 billion IMF loan to support a wide-ranging reform program aimed at restoring foreign inflows and correcting the budget deficit.

A series of tax increases and subsidy cuts, along with the currency depreciation, have driven inflation to record levels in a country where millions live a paycheck away from hunger. But amid the pain of government austerity, local manufacturers and exporters are reporting an increase in activity.

Egyptian politicians have blamed the import-dependent country's trade deficit, which stood at $42.64 billion in 2016, for putting pressure on the local currency. Along with a sharp reduction in imports, a rise in agricultural exports could help narrow that gap.

Exports of Egyptian vegetables, fruits and legumes amounted to $2.2 billion last year and would likely rise by about 15 percent in 2017, Abdel Hamid al-Demerdash, the head of Egypt's Agriculture Export Council, said.

The main vegetable exports include onions and artichokes, and fruits include oranges and strawberries.

Farmland in the Egyptian countryside.

The growing interest follows a turbulent year for Egyptian produce, with a Hepatitis A scare in North America linked to Egyptian strawberries and a temporary ban of Egyptian fruits and vegetables in Russia, one of Cairo's top buyers.

But traders say growth now comes down to how quickly they can expand to meet demand.

Japan Food Solutions (JFS), a fruit and vegetable exporter, is working to double its planted area this year to meet an expected 20-30 percent increase in demand from markets in Europe and North America, senior managing director Emad Said said.

“I see this as a golden opportunity for Egyptian produce to compete more aggressively ... The clever ones will seize this opportunity to enter new markets,” he said.

http://www.voanews.com/a/egypt-agricultural-exports-ripe-for-world-markets-after-currency-float/3727916.html