Egyptian Pomegranate Quality Affected by Weather Hindering Trade

Published 2022년 10월 12일

The August heat wave in Egypt prolonged the pomegranate harvest season resulting in issues with fruit coloring. According to Ahmad Shalaby, Tridge’s Senior Fulfillment Manager in Egypt, while the Brix level and internal color of the Baladi and Wonderful variety are up to the standards, the color of the fruits is still not satisfactory. The wholesale price of fresh pomegranate in Egypt in W4 of September was USD 0.41/kg, and it is expected to increase. Besides the EU and Middle Eastern countries, China has been increasing Egyptian pomegranate imports. Meanwhile, Egyptian suppliers are targeting markets that do not require the complete coloring of fruits.

According to Ahmad Shalaby, Tridge’s Senior Fulfillment Manager in Egypt, adverse weather has affected the quality of pomegranates in Egypt. Due to the heat wave in August, the Egyptian pomegranate season started later than in previous years, causing difficulties in coloring the fruit. The late harvest and lower production pushed prices higher.

Based on Tridge’s price data, the wholesale price of fresh pomegranate on week 4 of September in Egypt was USD 0.41/kg, a 7.89% WoW increase from USD 0.38/kg, showing an upward trend. The export value of Egyptian pomegranate was USD 9.93M, and the export volume was 3.91M mt in 2021.

Seasonality of Fresh Pomegranate in Egypt

Source: Tridge

According to Ahmad Shalaby, the Baladi variety, which usually is ready to harvest in mid-September, has not reached the color required for export. The internal color and Brix are good, but the external color remains the most significant setback. A similar situation is with the Wonderful variety, which usually reaches full coloration by the end of September. In W4 of September, Wonderful variety was still around 80-85% color with good sugar level and internal color. The heat wave that hit Egypt in August was the main disturbing factor for fruit coloring, delaying the appearance of the full red color and causing sunburns to the shell.

Regarding the export of Egyptian pomegranates, the main markets in 2021 were the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, with a combined market share of 50.4% and a total value of USD 5.01M. In 2022, there has been strong demand from the EU markets, while Asian markets are increasing in significance, especially China. In August 2022, China's Customs agency announced that it will start allowing imports of fresh pomegranate from Egypt. The phytosanitary and quality requirements that Egyptian growers, packers, and exporters must meet to import their pomegranates into China were agreed upon. Most important was the necessity of cold treatment. Fruit should be stored with a core temperature of 1.67 degrees Celsius or less for more than 16 days or 2.22 degrees Celsius or less for more than 18 days. Quarantine pests were included on the list, including the Mediterranean fruit fly, common guava blue (Deudorix Isocrates), and carob bean moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae). Aside from cold treatment, other requirements, such as grading and cleaning, are relatively standard for traders from Egypt. Egyptian government institutions must conduct sample inspections of pomegranates destined for China to check for the presence of pests of concern. In addition, orchards, packing facilities, and cold storage and treatment facilities must be registered with the Central Plant Quarantine Administration under the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, in addition to GACC approval.

Amid the increase in Chinese imports of Egyptian pomegranate, the issue with the coloring of the Baladi and Wonderful variety remains. Wonderful and Baladi types are in high demand in Far East markets. For now, Egyptian suppliers are targeting markets that do not require the full coloring of fruits.