Egypt almost doubles fresh fruit exports to EU in 2023

This remarkable achievement was mainly driven by the surge in orange exports from Egypt to the EU, as a result of the severe drought that affected the main orange-producing countries in the region. In the 2022/23 season, the EU’s orange production, based on FAS USDA estimates, dropped to the lowest level in a decade, creating a huge demand for oranges from non-EU countries. For instance, during the season (November 2022 – October 2023), Egypt’s orange exports to Spain grew by a staggering 4,000 times!

The second most important category for Egyptian exporters, who focus on the EU market, was grapes. The trend was also positive for this product, although not as impressive as for oranges, and Egypt’s market share in the EU was occasionally challenged by controversies over the illegal use of protected varieties.

All other fresh fruits accounted for less than 8% of Egypt’s export structure. The most notable ones were mandarins (21,000 tons), lemons (7,600 tons), mango and guava (3,000 tons), strawberries (2,500 tons), watermelons (1,400 tons) and grapefruits (1,200 tons).

Read also: How Egypt is breaking into EU with mango and guava exports. Shipments triple over past 5 years

It is worth noting that the export of almost all of these products increased in 2023, except for fresh strawberries, which exports continued to decline. Interestingly, the opposite was true for frozen strawberries, and their exports have been growing steadily since at least 2018.