The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation clarified that Saudi Arabia’s decision to stop importing strawberry crops from Egypt and other countries is a regulatory measure that aims to balance the supply and demand in the Kingdom’s internal market. The decision is not a ban or a rejection of the shipments for health or quarantine reasons, the ministry said.
Saad Moussa, the supervisor of the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine, explained that the decision was issued by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and applied to most crops that the Kingdom imports from all over the world. He stressed that Egypt is not the only country affected by the decision.
Moussa added that the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine received an official letter from the Saudi Ministry outlining the conditions and procedures for the entry of agricultural goods into the Kingdom. According to the letter, strawberry exporters need to obtain an export permit that is valid for 15 days from January 24, 2024. He noted that all importers who have secured the permits can receive their shipments without any issues and are allowed to enter the Kingdom.
Moussa stated that the Saudi ministry will resume issuing import permits for strawberries starting from next Thursday.
He also pointed out that Elsayed Elkosayer, the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, is closely and continuously monitoring the situation of Egyptian agricultural exports and working to maintain the achievements made by the support of the political leadership for the development of the agricultural quarantine system.
