Citrus exports record 1.6M tons since beginning of season

CAIRO - 2 June 2019: Egypt’s citrus exports have recorded 1.6 million tons since the beginning of the season as indicated in a report issued by the Central Department of Agricultural Quarantine at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Ahmed al-Attar, head of the department, told Egypt Today that the exported crops are tracked in all stages starting from cultivation and harvest until packing. The official added that the Cabinet had endorsed strict measures against companies that do not abide by export rules. The penalties consist of banning them from exporting and investigation by the Public Prosecution.

Exporters are obliged to use stamps accredited by agricultural quarantine agencies. Those stamps prove that the wooden containers meet international standards. The stamps are clear and visible since agricultural exports can be rejected in some foreign countries because of the inclarity of the stamps.

In January, the Cabinet's media center denied reports on a drop in Egypt's agricultural exports of citrus fruits, clarifying that Egypt's exports of citrus fruits had surged in 2018, as Egypt is reportedly the world's second exporter of citrus fruits.

In December 2018, Attar said that citrus fruits and potatoes are the most exported types in Egypt in 2018, adding that the country has exported about 1.7 million tons of citrus fruits since the beginning of the year.

He added that the country also exported around 800,000 tons of potatoes since the beginning of 2018.