The Egyptian company El-Fady for Export, based in Cairo, is a family business started in December 2000 for the cultivation of cut flowers, which has recently begun growing organic vegetables for export to the EU.
To facilitate this process, Mr Kamal Mankarious explains, that the firm counts on the collaboration of IMC, which is “an Italian organic inspection company [whose task is] to inspect the ground before cultivation, to certify it’s free of chemical fertilisers or chemical insecticides, and to follow up until the harvest and post-harvest, to make sure the products are 100% organic, free from any harmful materials and qualified for the EU.”
For the coming season, the organic product of choice is spring onions, although “we can also cultivate any product in the open ground at the suitable season, such as green beans, cabbage or iceberg lettuce,” affirms Mr Mankarious. Most importantly, “we are currently looking for EU partners to send us seeds and technical support so that we can carry out the local work, including the cultivation, fertilising, watering, harvest, post-harvest, packing and shipping.”
All in all, he believes that El-Fady should have an advantage over its competitors, as “Most other exporters limit their work to trading (starting from the post-harvest), but few cultivate themselves, so I believe that our product deserves to be highly competitive, with a great quality and price.”
