Cairo - Mubasher: The head of the Egyptian Agriculture Export Council said that the decision by Saudi Arabia to ban Egyptian guava imports came as a surprise.
This is despite comments by the Saudi side that were made clear to the Egyptian delegation which recently visited the kingdom to discuss the ban on Egyptian crops a month ago, Abdulhamid El-Demerdash told Mubasher, noting that communication with the Saudi side is part of the problem.
Official letters are often late, and with a long line of bureaucracy, this often leads to delayed actions.
El-Demerdash also noted that the council has officially asked Saudi authorities to inform the council of any violations or corrective actions, warning that importers deal with amateur exporters who offer the lowest prices but also the worst quality, stressing that they are not members of the export council.
The problem began with banning Egyptian strawberry by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, in the US the ban is usually imposed on imports from a specific region or city, not an entire country, El-Demerdash indicated, adding that they are taking all the necessary measurements to restore confidence in the Egyptian crops.
Egypt recently exported 150,000 tonnes of citruses to India, China, and Bangladesh, which is has upset other regional competitors aiming at targeting south eastern markets, such as Israel and Turkey.
Egypt produces 12 million tonnes of fruits, and 22 million of vegetables, making it self-sufficient, added El-Demerdash.
The European Union (EU) dominates Egyptian imports with more than 840,000 tonnes per year, he added.
Other non-EU members like Russia and Turkey import around 370,000 tonnes of Egyptian harvests, while Asian countries account for around 380,000 tonnes.
