Strawberries from Egypt, Overcoming Tough Competition in Europe

The demand for strawberries is increasing globally. Egypt is the 4th largest strawberry producing and the 6th largest exporting country in the world. Egyptian strawberries are known for high quality, however, they have difficulty competing in its main market, Europe. With Spain as its main competitor, Egyptian strawberries are seeking different ways to remain competitive in the European markets.

There are 6 main varieties of strawberries produced and exported by Egypt: Winter Star, Florida Beauty, Florida Sensation, Fortuna Late, Festival Late, and Red Merlin strawberries. Strawberries are mainly produced in the northeastern part of Egypt in the Beheira Governorate. The production of strawberries commences in mid-November and continues until May. According to Nile Green, an Egyptian strawberry exporter, the production in Egypt is increasing as Egyptian farmers adapt to new technologies in seeding and start planting varieties with a higher yield to acre ratio.

Egypt is the 6th largest strawberry exporting country in the world with an export value of 74.2 million USD in 2018. The main export destinations for Egyptian strawberries are Belgium, Germany, Russia, the UK, and the Netherlands. Nile Green’s main target market is the Netherlands, as the Dutch importers distribute their imports to most other European markets. The company’s main competitor in the European market is Spain. Spain is the largest strawberry exporter in the world, and its main market is also Europe.

Spain produces 80% of its strawberries during March, April, and May. To avoid competing directly with the Spanish strawberries, Nile Green exports its products from November through January, which is the low season for Spain. Unlike Egyptian strawberries, which have to be air freighted, Spanish strawberries can be transported by land because of the country’s proximity to its main market. Land transportation allows Spanish strawberry exporters to offer competitive prices that Egyptian exporters often cannot match. However, the company’s products are competitive in terms of quality. The company’s strawberry varieties have Brix Levels between 14 and 17, whereas the average Brix level of strawberries is between 10 and 12.

Recently, Russia extended the ban on fruits imported from the European Union. Nile Green states that this gives the company an excellent opportunity to start exporting slightly lower grade strawberries to Russia at highly competitive prices. The company expects to export to Russia during non-winter months when the company is not sending major volumes to Europe.