News in Brief:
– Despite a recent pause in strawberry imports, Egypt clarifies that Saudi Arabia’s action was a temporary market regulation, not a ban.
– The country’s agriculture ministry expects permit issuance and regular trade to resume soon.
The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has clarified in a statement to the press that Saudi Arabia’s recent suspension of strawberry imports from Egypt, and other countries, is a temporary regulatory measure, not a complete ban.
The decision, implemented by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, aims to stabilise supply and demand within the Kingdom’s internal market, and emphasises that it is not driven by health or quarantine concerns.
Saudi Arabia is one of Egypt’s biggest strawberry customers, it imported over $11.2 million worth of the fruit from the North African nation in 2019 and bought its highest quantity during the same period. A breakdown in trade could affect Egypt’s agricultural earnings.
Saudi Arabia not targetting Egypt with strawberry imports restrictions
Saad Moussa, supervisor of the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine, confirmed that the measure applies to most crops imported by Saudi Arabia globally, not solely targeting Egypt. He added that Egypt received an official letter outlining the new procedures and stipulating a 15-day validity period for strawberry export permits issued from January 24, 2024 onwards.
Importantly, Moussa emphasised that importers who already secured valid permits are unaffected and can continue receiving their shipments without disruption. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is expected to resume issuing strawberry import permits as early as next Thursday.
Elsayed Elkosayer, Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, is closely monitoring the situation and actively working to protect the interests of Egyptian agricultural exports in light of this temporary measure. He is credited with leading efforts to develop and strengthen the nation’s agricultural quarantine system, contributing to the achievements in agricultural exports.
Recall that some media houses reported that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had banned imports of Egyptian strawberries due to pesticide residues. The temporary ban came into effect on July 11, 2023, although the Middle Eastern country did not specify the levels of residues detected or name the companies that have committed violations.
