Despite good harvest forecasts, a difficult export campaign for fresh garlic of Egyptian origin is emerging. “Planting dates went according to plan and growing conditions were mostly good. Unfortunately, we were informed in November that our most important food retail customer in Germany will not be listing any Egyptian garlic this year, but dried solo garlic. Only in April, there will presumably be two deliveries for the German food retail sector, which in total corresponds to about a quarter of the quantities purchased in previous years,” reports Edgar Günther, specialized importer and co-managing director of ElbeFruit GmbH.
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Nevertheless, the first flight goods were loaded at Frankfurt Airport in calendar week 4, which will be sold through German wholesale markets, among other places. In addition, customers in neighboring European countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, and France will be supplied. “We have found that in Germany, for example, young white garlic is preferred, while in France, purple garlic is particularly popular. In this respect, each market has its own requirements and preferences.”
High prices and expansion of areas in the country of origin
According FreshPlaza, due to increased production and logistics costs, prices are higher than last year. Günther: “Freight rates have normalized to some extent after a few extreme years, but are still high compared to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, harvest volumes remain limited, which also contributes to the high price level.”
Compared to the previous year, the acreage in Egypt has increased by 25-30 percent, he continues. “Although the harvest is still in progress, and we therefore do not yet have any results, we can see that the fairly cold and stable weather is contributing to healthier garlic with better sizes and yields. The overall quality is significantly better than in previous years.”
Rising demand in and outside Europe
Overall, Egyptian garlic production continues to grow encouragingly, thanks, according to Günther, primarily to the steady expansion of acreage and improvements in quality. “Apart from the German market, European interest in Egyptian garlic this year is greater than in previous years because competing producing countries such as South Africa and the Netherlands have already ended their season. Outside Europe, export markets such as the Middle East and the United States are gaining in importance, which is reflected in higher demand and increasing diversification among exporters.”
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