Egypt increases area dedicated to frozen strawberries

Egypt's strawberry season is set to begin in November, but the sector is facing challenges due to climatic and economic factors, particularly in fresh strawberry production. However, a strategic shift towards frozen strawberries is helping to mitigate these challenges. The area dedicated to fresh strawberry cultivation has decreased by 25% compared to the previous season, but there has been an increase in crops for frozen strawberries. This shift is due to quality issues with fresh strawberry plants and the higher prices obtained for frozen strawberries in the previous season. Despite the decrease in fresh strawberry volumes, demand is expected to be strong due to climate change affecting other producing countries. In the previous season, Egypt exported 257,000 tons of frozen strawberries and 43,000 tons of fresh strawberries. This shift towards the frozen sector and growing international demand could help Egypt offset the challenges in fresh strawberry production and ensure the sector's stability and growth.