There are plenty of local markets and food stalls in Egypt selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Although there is an abundance of produce, the quality of it can be questionable; a recent EU-funded study found that the general standards for local market production are low, resulting in insufficient quality and hygiene levels. However, organic produce is gaining in popularity in the capital.
“Most top line produce is exported to Europe, providing Egypt with much needed foreign currency,” said Mona Osman who organized the Katameya Ladies Farmer’s Market in the city’s eastern suburbs, which takes place monthly.
In January alone, Egypt exported 271,960 tons of fruit and 115,523 tons of vegetables according to the agriculture ministry. Produce exports exceed imports by a factor of fifteen.
“The arrival of international chains like Carrefour and Metro markets have provided middle class consumers a higher quality standard for fruits and vegetables,” said Osman.
“But we are bringing the hand-selected and organic product to the most discriminating shopper,” Osman told The Media Line.
Like the established twice-weekly Farmer’s Market held in the courtyard of Zamalek’s Nūn Center, it’s a community event with a focus on supporting sustainable agriculture and women’s empowerment.
“This event is about eating healthy, locally grown food with minimum pesticides,” said Nada Iskander, co-founder of Nūn Center. The Egyptian Center for Organic Agriculture was founded eighteen years ago but it was only in 2014 that the farm industry group secured the prized EU organic equivalence certification.
“It took time to raise awareness to get people out of the supermarket and back in touch with local food,” Iskander said.
American trained, Giza nutritionist Fatma Kamal sees a growing market for organics in Egypt.
“When you go to the supermarket and you pull your Egyptian pounds out and buy that Oreo, you’re selling a message to Nestle to supply you more of that,” said Kamal.
“It’s the same with health produce. When you put that money into an organic avocado or local bananas, you’re sending the same signal to the farmers to grow more.”
