Strawberry yields drop in Egypt, acreage increase keeps volumes stable

The strawberry season in Egypt is experiencing a decline in productivity, according to Mr. Elsayed Elgohary, producer of Egyptian strawberries: "We have observed a deterioration in the quality of Florida varieties plants, and we are discussing this issue with our suppliers. This has caused a drop in productivity, which I can estimate at 15%, but volumes will remain stable this season thanks to an increase in acreage. The total national volume will be around 250,000 tons, which will allow Egypt to remain the world's leading exporter of strawberries".

Adverse weather conditions are also contributing to the productivity decline, according to the producer: "Usually, the Egyptian autumn is mild and the winter is warm. In the last two years, the autumn is warmer than usual and the winter is cooler, which is favorable to several crops, but not strawberries. This situation raises many challenges to keep up productivity and quality."

In terms of demand, Elsayed expects stable demand compared to last season, with the same trends: strong demand from European markets, especially Germany, and from the United States, East Asia, and some African countries.

Egyptian producers will benefit this year from the devaluation of the Egyptian pound against foreign currencies, says Elsayed: "This year we will have no competition in terms of prices, despite the increase in costs. Our costs keep increasing, and have reached 250K pounds per Feddan this year" (1 feddan = 0.42 ha).