Employing US Quality Standards - Improvements on Egyptian Orange Farms

Egyptian oranges are improving in quality this year. Not only was the weather beneficial for the sweetness and juiciness of the fruits, but stricter government regulations are also ensuring that only high-quality fruits are exported. This is very beneficial for importers of Egyptian oranges, which can now not only compete on price, but also on quality. The Egyptian exporter Cairo Farms is aiming to increase the quality of its oranges even more, by adopting US quality standards on all of their Egyptian farms.

Increasing Exports due to High Quality in 2019/2020 Season

The production results of the 2019/2020 season, which is currently in full swing, seem to be beneficial to exporters, as there was a lot of rain during the fall, which has led to a higher quality of the oranges. Rain positively affects the juiciness and sweetness of oranges, making them more demanded in the global market. A heatwave, however, negatively affected the quantity harvested, so the total harvest of oranges is expected to be slightly lower than during 2018, when it was around 3.4 million tons, but still higher than during the 2017 season.

It is expected that despite the slightly lower yield, orange exports will actually increase. This is mainly due to the high demand for Egyptian oranges. Low labor costs and a low exchange rate lead to a very competitive price in the international market. Furthermore, the adoption of new export quality standards has led to an increase in demand from countries with strict phytosanitary regulations, such as China.

Stricter Quality Standards for Exported Oranges

The Agricultural Export Council in Egypt has set strict regulations to ensure that all fresh produce exports conform to international standards. Under the new regulations, all products destined for export have to undergo a strict analysis of production methods. The Council pays special attention to the use of pesticides and sanitation at the farm level. These regulations had created some difficulties for farmers: right after implementation, many farmers did not meet these requirements and were therefore unable to export their products. Nevertheless, many farmers are now getting used to these standards and export is increasing, partly due to the increased quality of the exported fruits.

Bringing US Quality Standards to Egypt

Cairo Farms aims to go one step further when it comes to quality standards. The company owns and employs farms near Cairo, but is headquartered in California, US. As such, the company uses a lot of US techniques on their farms in Egypt. For example, they replicate spacing methods used on US farms and are planning to implement a sprinkler irrigation system rather than a drip irrigation system.

More importantly, Cairo Farms aims to get the basis of farming right, states Akram El-Nady, sales manager of the company. Besides owning its own farm, the company also works together with small, local farmers in Egypt, which otherwise would not have the possibility to sell their products to foreign buyers due to economies of scale and language barriers. With highly-qualified farm managers, who have earned their PhDs in agriculture from Cairo University, the company aims to ensure that all of their farms are properly taken care of, following US sanitary standards. Cairo Farms uses specialized machinery to wash, polish, and sort the fruits. This ensures a high quality of not only their exported oranges but also of all of their oranges sold domestically.