Egypt Exports 5.1 Million Tons of Vegetables worth $2.6 Billion

A spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture Mohamed El-Qersh said that Egypt has exported 5.1 million tons of vegetables and fresh commodities, worth $2.6 billion, from the beginning of the year until the beginning of this month.

“We export vegetables and food commodities to more than 160 countries,” the agriculture spokesperson added, during a call-in via Sada el-Balad channel, to more than 160 countries, noting that 4.4 million tons of vegetables were exported during the year.

In the past, the increase in the volume of agricultural exports is due to new agricultural projects and greenhouses.

He pointed out that the volume of vegetable production in 2018 was 19 million tons; and "we are currently producing 23 million tons of vegetables, which are pumped into the market and the rest for export," revealing an increase of 100,000 tons of vegetable production over last year.

He noted that there are many agricultural expansions in Egypt and there is a great development in the productivity of agricultural crops and the quality of agricultural crops.

He touched on the fact that "greenhouses enable us to provide a high-quality product that can compete globally," and that greenhouses provide thousands of job opportunities for Egyptians, face high prices, and produce at times other than normal periods.

He added that the greenhouses provide the citizens' needs for vegetables and fruits, and are exported abroad as well. "We have complete self-sufficiency in all kinds of vegetables as a result of the agricultural projects implemented by the state."

He indicated that greenhouses use modern irrigation methods, and the unit of water use is diminishing, stressing at the same time that the greenhouse project in "Mohamed Naguib" is the future of food in Egypt.