Egyptian strawberry production is estimated to come to some 1 million tonnes. The production is divided into a mixture of top-quality export grade (predominantly to Europe and The Middle East), and industrial use such a confectionery, jams and general processing.
There is a great emphasis on creating new strawberry varieties, as well as updated plant types. The Egyptian strawberry sector is dominated by short day types, a market that we are looking forward to entering as the new selections come through from the UC Davis strawberry breeding team. The mixture of new strawberry genotypes, environment and plant types will certainly be exciting.
The future for berries in Egypt though is not all about strawberries. In the fullness of time, we will see more Egyptian blueberries, raspberries and indeed blackberries taking a more important position in the global supply chain.
Globalplantgenetics.com explains that the knowledge, experience, varieties and determination are there to make these exciting berry products work in Egypt’s somewhat harsh desert environment.