Elwadi Export Co. for Agricultural Products aims to export 100,000 tonnes of agricultural crops during the current year, an increase of 28%.
Anis Mohamed, the general manager of Elwadi Export Co. for Agricultural Products, said the company aims to increase its exports from 78,000 tonnes during the last season to 100,000 tonnes during the current season.
He estimated the value of the company’s exports during the past year at $39m, as the company exports its entire production to more than 25 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Italy, England, Russia, Ukraine, Hong Kong, China, the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland, all whilst seeking to open up to new markets during the current year.
Mohamed said the company owns 8,000 feddans in Wadi Natrun, and citrus fruits account for an area of 4,800 feddans of the total cultivated land area, while the remaining area is allocated to the production of pomegranates, onions, strawberries and grapes.
He added that the company has three sorting and packaging stations in Belbeis, Tanta and Kafr El-Dawar, each made of two production lines with a capacity of about 50 tonnes per day.
He pointed out that the company produces 45% of the quantities required for export from its farms, managing the rest by purchasing from farmers and traders.
The general manager of the company said the company is preparing to buy two new production lines for vegetables and fruits using the electronic sorting system with a production capacity of 50 tonnes per day, with investments of $2.5m during the first quarter of this year.
Mohamed explained that the two new production lines aim to increase production capacity by about 33%, while increasing the company’s exports to a number of new markets in Africa and in South and East Asia.
He pointed out that he started directing the company’s activity in dealing and supplying to the commercial chains in the European Union with the required specifications and the use of pesticides according to the standards recognised in the European Union.
The general manager emphasised the company’s keenness to sort and cool the products and to ensure their quality and compliance with European specifications and requirements.
Egyptian products are able to compete externally in case of adherence to specifications, despite the presence of strong competitors in the sector, including Morocco, a strong competitor in the market of vegetables and fresh citrus fruits, Mohamed said.
