The season for golden onions in Egypt is in full swing and it’s been a pretty good one so far. There seems to be more demand for the golden onions, but Egyptian growers and traders will have to prepare for the future. Climate change is upon us and one Egyptian trader feels they need to improve to be able to face this challenge.
For Egyptian trader Green Tiba, the season for golden onions has been a satisfactory one, according to Mrs.Doaa Hegazy, Export Manager for Green Tiba: The season has been going very well this season, We’ve seen a big increase in demand from Turkey and multiple European countries. This has turned our season into a successful one. This is also partly due to a shortage of onions in both Turkey and Europe, which definitely increased our onion sales.”
Besides Turkey, multiple countries in Europe are now a great market for Green Tiba: “We’ve exported to quite a few European countries this season, including Ukraine, Romania, Poland and Italy. Lebanon and Guinea have also proven to be solid markets this season. We feel we’ve got a good grasp on the market right now, there aren’t really any new markets left for us to enter as we already deal with all markets all over the world. It might change if the market needs change somehow, but for now we’re really healthy in terms of contacts and clients.” Hegazy said.
Although the season for golden onions has been going well, it doesn’t mean Green Tiba can sit back, relax and let the good times roll. “Currently if season is affected by bad weather, it could have a big effect on the onion growth, the quantity and the quality. For the current season this isn’t an issue, but it’s something that could come up. It would be an improvement if we had simple solutions to deal with any bad weather. A better understanding of weather would also mean we would be better equipped to deal with the upcoming climate changes,” Hegazy explains. “On top of that we would like to start cultivating more varieties in the future, and increase our production volumes in general. Currently we’re exporting between 10,000 and 15,000 tons per season.”
One thing Hegazy is not afraid of is competition: “At this moment, I feel Egypt is a leader in exporting golden and red onions. This is why it’s safe to say we don’t have to worry about any competitors, especially with the shortages in Europe.”
