“The Middle Eastern customer is not to be painted with the same brush. There are many different tastes and preferences, along with specifications regarding varieties and quality standards, which varies from country to country. Really knowing the market you are dealing with is key and vital to success,” said CEO Elsayed Abdalla.
Abdalla shared that his company’s exports to Egypt start with the first transport of small containers, but grew so quickly that they were able to export more than 100 containers, each containing 21 tons, within 5 months.
“Many Polish producers have it wrong, thinking that the market is only interested in Red Delicious or Red Prince. Nothing can be further from the truth, just last year my company exported 65 containers of Idared, along with Gloster, Elise and Jonagored. There is also interest in Red Jonaprince and Golden Delicious. Requirements vary depending on the region.”
The trick is finding the right customer for the appropriate market.
Knowledge and preparation key
Abdulla believes that the only way to establish long term business in new markets is with a good start and a good reputation. Consumers in the Arab world buy with their eyes and appearance is everything. The apples are sorted into three classes; A, B,C, and there is additional classification within these classes based of colour concentration of 70, 50 and 30% blush. The apples must be firm (at least 5 kg), have a brix of 12 or more and have no damage to the skin or flesh.
“Unfortunately, many growers and traders jump into the new markets in Arab countries without taking the time to find out the specific requirements of the customer. A specific problem I have encountered many times is that Polish producers are trying to get the same premium prices as apples being imported from South Tyrol, which are still superior in quality. They also need to remember that Italians have been present in the market for a very long time and have built up their good reputation over many years. Polish apples are the ‘new kid on the block’ and producers need to be patient and give it time." said Abdalla.
Transportation also remains an issue for exports from Poland. It takes 21 days by sea and land for apples to reach Egypt, 28-29 days for Dubai, 21 days for Jordan and 14 days for Israel Haifa. This is another reason why it is absolutely crucial for apples to be of the highest quality when preparing a consignment for export. Transportation temperatures need to be around 1-2 degrees Celsius, and equipped with dataloggers measuring temperature and humidity. Nile Trade insures every batch sent for export.
More demand in Egypt than Polish production
Egypt is a country made up of 100 million people which means that even if Poland was to send all of its production, there still wouldn’t be enough to supply demand.
There are also lots of opportunities for growers in Western Europe.
“I have been working with contacts from several countries in Western Europe who have been able to prepare large batches of uniform goods for my customers. There has been a lot of interest for varieties such as ‘Elstar’ and ‘Fuji’, grown in The Netherlands and Belgium. Again, this contradicts the idea amongst Polish producers that Arabs only like red and green apples. What I can say with 100% certainty is that they are not interested in the Champion (Szampion).” concluded Abdallah.
