While table grapes from Egypt are not yet available, high prices in Europe and good weather has Egyptian growers and shippers looking forward to this year's export season.
“Prices are sky-high, so as a farmer, I'm happy,” said Nader Hussein of Ragab Farms. While the earliest supplies of Egyptian table grapes are still more than a month away, which means Nader can't take advantage of those strong prices, Nader said he's looking forward to exporting fruit because of the promising signs he's seen so far.
“We had a winter that was good for bud break, also a good steady increase in temperatures,” said Nader. “That will make work in the field much easier, which will cut down on overall costs.” Ragab Farms exports about 1,300 tons of table grapes every year, which will grow to about 2500 + tons in the next few years. While it's too early to tell how quality of fruit will turn out, Nader expects this year's volume and quality to be just as good if not better than in previous years. Harvesting is expected to begin about 10 to 15 days sooner than last season.
“Competition among growers is pretty tough,” said Nader. “There's always more competition every year because there are new grape plantations coming in to production every year, so the only thing that keeps you ahead of others in the market is if you can produce quality.”
