Egyptian chili peppers to rise in price by 30% this season

Egyptian chilies will soon hit the market. Only a handful of exporters of Egyptian chilies ship to Europe. Among them, is Mohamed Awwad, CEO of Al Awwad for Import and Export, FreshPlaza notes.

Awwad says: “The chili season starts in mid-November and usually runs until the end of April, and if the weather is good, it will extend until mid-June. I expect a similar volume to last season, or even less depending on the climate factor.”

Different varieties of Egyptian chilies are exported to Europe, Awwad explains: “There is a strong demand for chilies, cherries, kardoula, Peperoncino, Kapia, and Jalapeño. We export to Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. Egyptian chilies are destined for the fresh market, as well as for industrialists, like chili sauce and chili paste factories.”

In terms of prices, chilies are not immune to the general rise in production costs, according to the exporter: “Prices will even rise by around 30% compared with the previous season”.

“At Al Awwad, we have planted 60 hectares of chilies for the upcoming season. Our peppers comply with European standards and MRL limits, and we are proud to be one of the few Egyptian companies that export peppers within the European MRL limits. It’s actually difficult to control pesticide residues in chilies,” Awwad continues.