Favorable Situation for Sweet Potatoes from Egypt

With rising global demand and supply shortages from main producing countries such as the US, the 2019 sweet potato season looks favorable for Egyptian producers and exporters. The increasing consumer preference towards healthy eating is driving the global demand for sweet potato, as it is considered a healthy source of carbohydrates. Sweet potato is high in vitamins A and C and is considered to be a healthier alternative to regular potato.

Egyptian sweet potato season starts in the middle of July and ends in February. The peak season is during August and September. Sweet potatoes are mainly produced in the southern and northern parts of the country. Egypt is expected to produce around 400K tons of sweet potatoes in 2019. According to Shenouda Azmy, export manager from Farmgistic Co., an Egyptian sweet potato exporter, production volume has been increasing every season because of the growing demand for sweet potatoes. Fortunately for Egyptian sweet potato exporters, the US is facing a shortage during Egypt’s peak season. The US shortage is caused by poor weather conditions in North Carolina, which produces 60% of the US’s sweet potatoes. This presents an opportunity for Egyptian exporters to fill the supply gap caused by sweet potato shortages in the US.

Egypt is the 6th biggest exporter of sweet potatoes in the world. In 2018, Egpyt exported around 23.6 million USD worth of sweet potatoes, which is a 40% increase from 2017. The export value for Egypt has been increasing over the last decade and the export value is expected to increase in 2019 as well. The increase in export value reflects the increasing demand for sweet potatoes. Due to rising demand, the price for Egyptian sweet potatoes has also increased by 40% compared to the 2018 season.

The main destinations for Egyptian sweet potatoes are the UK, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Beauregard sweet potato is the main variety exported to Europe because of strong consumer preference for this variety. The target markets for Farmgistic Co. are European countries such as the Netherlands, England, and Slovenia. Spain is the company’s main competitor in the target markets. The company’s sweet potatoes compete in the European market with taste, price, and packaging. The Egyptian sweet potatoes are cheaper than sweet potatoes from Spain and the US. Farmgistic Co. also offers many packaging options for customers such as washed, non-washed, 6 kg carton, 600 kg bin, and jumbo size. The current situation in the sweet potato market provides a lot of opportunities for exporters.