“Next Egyptian strawberry season will be completely different”
Egypt’s strawberry sector is heading into yet another challenging season, but for reasons different from last year. Planted acreage has dropped sharply following a record production that ended in excessive volumes and heavy financial losses. The drop in acreage is coupled with lower yields, but the commercial outlook looks better. This is according to El Sayed El Gohary, a grower in the Delta region.
“Next Egyptian strawberry season will be completely different from the last one,” El Gohary says. “As expected, there has been a sharp decrease in planted area. We are talking about at least 40% less area, an estimate that is widely shared in the sector and remains conservative. The oversupply and the price collapse caused significant financial losses last season. Many newcomers have left the sector. On top of that, many growers simply couldn’t plant their full acreage because of inflating costs and phytosanitary issues.”
The reduction in area is coupled with lower yields due to phytosanitary problems. “We have suffered a lot with a fungus, Neopestalotiopsis,” El Gohary explains. “It has been present for a few years already, but it is very damaging this season and forced a lot of replanting. It spares no variety, and control solutions have proven insufficient. The plant protection products authorized for use are not very effective, and we see that the fungus shows resistance.”
According to the grower, Fortuna, Sensation and Festival remain the most widely planted varieties this season, although many others are grown in Egypt. “At our farm we currently have 14 varieties in trial, but the dominant trio remains unchanged,” El Gohary continues.
The fresh strawberry season is due to start in mid-November, which should not be delayed by replanting, according to El Gohary. “We do not foresee a delay in the peak either, which is expected in late February or early March barring unforeseen events. What is certain is that the peak will not bring the large volumes of last season. The reduction in area affects growers of strawberries for the fresh market even more, because it is more difficult, costly and demanding. Not every grower can do it.”
The sector is also facing a complicated export campaign, marked by the tense situation in the region. “It is a headache we are spared as growers, but our exporters will have to show agility when it comes to logistics and routes. I hope exports to the Gulf countries will remain stable, as they are shipped by road rather than by air. In the fresh sector, the UK market remains paramount, followed by the Netherlands, Germany and other European markets.”
“We anticipate, and above all hope for, a recovery in prices, reflecting the significant drop in supply and rising production costs,” El Gohary concludes.
For more information:
El Sayed El Gohary
Marvel Farm
Tel: +20 10024 96633
Email: azomite2015@gmail.com
