Saudi Arabia has lifted its regulatory measure that temporarily suspended the imports of strawberries from Egypt and other countries, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. The decision, which was issued on January 24, 2024, aimed to balance the supply and demand in the Kingdom’s internal market and was not related to any health or quarantine concerns.
Saad Moussa, the supervisor of the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine, explained that the decision was applied to most crops that the Kingdom imports from all over the world and that Egypt was not the only country affected by it. He stressed that Egyptian strawberries meet the Saudi standards and specifications and that there were no issues with the quality or safety of the shipments.
Moussa added that the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine received an official letter from the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture 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 problems and are allowed to enter the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia to resume issuing import permits for strawberries from February 1
Moussa stated that the Saudi ministry will resume issuing import permits for strawberries starting from February 1, 2024. 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.
Egypt’s food exports witness a notable increase in 2023
Egypt’s food exports witnessed a notable increase of 15 percent, reaching $4.3 billion during the first 10 months of 2023, compared to $3.8 billion in the corresponding period of 2022. Strawberries are among the most important and popular Egyptian agricultural products in the international markets, especially in the Gulf countries. Egypt exported about 38,000 tons of strawberries in 2022, worth $72 million, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.
