The potato season is starting in Egypt and is marked by abundant production, high demand, stable prices, and no particular challenges except for a few shipment complications. Mohammad Hassan, export manager of Al Gamal-Plantix, gave an overview of the upcoming season to Youness Bensaid of FreshPlaza.
Al Gamal-Plantix operates on 6,000 acres area, and is in the process of expanding it with an additional 10,000 acres land. Mohammad said, “Potato production in Egypt has been abundant this year, exceeding last year’s volumes despite the weather conditions. Climate change did not spare us but volumes are intact. It did however impact the cost of production as it required increased farming operations, in terms of fertilization and disease control.”
The increase in volumes is mainly due to the increase in acreage, Mohammad said. “The government has made a lot of efforts in land reclamation, turning huge areas arable and available to public and private sector companies.”
Egyptian potato production benefits from weak competition in the international market, adds Mohammad. “Other origins that have export calendars at the same time as Egypt have lower volumes. I am thinking, for example, of the production of Pakistan.”
On the downside, the challenge that exporters are facing this year is the supply chain. Many crops are available to export, including potatoes, citrus, onions, garlic, and others, and this is putting pressure on the shipment lines.
Source: FreshPlaza. Read the full story here
Photo: Credit Mohammad Hassan via FreshPlaza
