Potato prices soar in Egypt
In supermarket chains such as Carrefour and Souq El Asr, the prices of potatoes range between EGP 26 and EGP 35 per kilo.
Hussein Abu Saddam, head of the Union of Farmers, told Ahram Online that the current surge in potato prices is temporary. He anticipates the next harvest will be substantial, potentially increasing market supply and reducing prices by 50% in December and January.
Moreover, Abu Saddam told Ahram Online that the price increase was due to a reduction in potato seed imports from Europe. This resulted in fewer acres planted with potatoes, leading to a supply shortage this summer.
Nevertheless, Abu Saddam stated that since most of the next harvest’s seeds are locally sourced, Egypt will not face this problem next year.
He added that he had called for a halt to onion and garlic exports, noting that the situation with potatoes is different, as the recent price increases are only temporary. However, Abu Saddam emphasized that stopping exports would be disastrous for farmers. "If we close these international markets, we may not be able to reopen them," he said.
“Egypt produces seven million tons of potatoes while the Egyptian market requires only five, so if we stop exporting potatoes, farmers will not find anyone to sell their produce to,” he stated.
Abu Saddam also noted that 'We currently have international agreements so we cannot just stop exporting potatoes".
Furthermore, he explained that the country plants 600,000 acres of potatoes and that the current harvest represents only 30 percent of the upcoming autumn and winter harvests.
According to Abu Saddam, farmers will practically lose money if they do not export their produce, which could drive them to stop planting potatoes altogether.
He added that wholesalers benefit from economies of scale, whilst small traders have to pay rent and transportation and may incur losses from having defective potatoes.
"This is why discrepancies in the price of potatoes exist between wholesalers and small traders.", he explained.
Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of harvesting potatoes, the second most exported agricultural commodity after citrus fruits. Abu Saddam indicated that Egypt exports one million tons of potatoes and that all parties involved are happy.
He explained that committees from the central administration for seed certification toured governorates to monitor seeding stations, seeds trading shops, sorting stations, and potato seeds refrigerators.
"These committees extracted 40 samples last year from exported potatoes and vegetable seeds and installed accreditation cards to mark approved potato seeds and special crops.", he concluded.