"There is more to discover than the traditional products"

Nine years ago, Nihal Abdelghaffar stood before a revolutionary decision: Should she sell her father's unprofitable mango farm? Or set it up from scratch and run it herself? The young banker from Cairo took a risk and decided to keep it. With the clear goal of growing high-quality fruit for export markets, she systematically increased quality and productivity, founded her own company atfa S.A.E. - and started exporting three years ago, well prepared. She now sells to the UK, the Netherlands, the Mediterranean region and Canada.

Fresh Barhi dates and Egyptian mango

"I try to stand out from others and focus more on niche markets, with products that are little known but have a lot of potential," says Nihal Abdelghaffar. Her portfolio includes Egyptian mango varieties, strawberries and Barhi dates: "So far, only a few companies are exporting Barhi dates, but the market is growing. My customers are happy to buy a minimum quantity to try them out - and interest is growing," reports Abelghaffar. This also applies to Egyptian mangoes, which are different from the conventional product in Europe.
"The mangoes that can be found in Europe so far usually have a lower sugar content and a certain bitter flavour," says Dalia Kaleel from the Egyptian Agricultural Export Council (AEC). "Our mangoes are very sweet, soft and full of flavour."
It is a product that Egypt has recently been increasingly exporting - although the market hurdles are rather high, as atfa founder Nihal Abdelghaffar reports: "In Egypt, mangoes are a gourmet product for which high prices are paid, but they also cost more because our varieties are less productive. In Europe, consumers are not used to this price level." Nevertheless, Abdelghaffar is convinced that the Egyptian mango has great potential: "Egypt is particularly successful with its citrus fruits and strawberries. But there is much more to discover."

Long seasons, high variance

Egypt is represented at FRUIT LOGISTICA this year with more than 90 exhibitors - more than ever before. "We have been here consistently for more than 25 years, and we are growing from year to year," says Dalia Kabeel from the Egyptian AEC (Agricultural Export Council). Citrus fruits dominate the picture, as Egypt is now one of the largest exporters worldwide. But the country also has impressive growth figures for potatoes, table grapes, apricots and melons.
"Because we grow individual products in different regions, we have long seasons," explains Dalia Kabeel. "Fresh and processed food is our most important export, after the oil industry." In addition to established markets such as Europe, Russia and Saudi Arabia, the country is increasingly tapping into new customers such as Japan, Brazil, China and New Zealand.

Moved up into the top eight

Turkey is also showing remarkable export growth. According to the FRUIT LOGISTICA trend report, it was already the eighth largest fruit and nut exporter in the world in 2023 with an export volume of 3.3 million tonnes. Almost a third of this was sold to Russia. The EU and the UK accounted for 17 per cent of fresh fruit exports, half of which were lemons and mandarins.
However, Turkey is also increasingly diversifying its products and markets. The country is now the largest producer of cherries in the world - according to the trend report, cherries already account for eight per cent of Turkish fruit exports. In an international comparison of the strongest growth rates for individual products from 2019 to 2023, Turkey makes it onto the list with four fruits: peppers, peaches, apples and pears. In addition to its traditional sales markets of Russia and Europe, the country now also sells to the MENA region, India and other Asian countries.