Egypt plans to launch its 2025/2026 orange export season on 15 December, the agriculture ministry said on Monday, as the country works to maintain smooth flows of citrus to international markets. Mohamed El-Mansy, Chairman of the Central Administration of Plant Quarantine (CAPQ), said shipments will enter accredited stations for processing, with the first exports cleared from mid-December. Dates were agreed upon by Egyptian authorities and the Citrus Committee following assessments of fruit coloring, productivity, and other quality indicators. Egypt exported more than 1.99 million tons of citrus in the previous season. To ensure export quality, quarantine inspectors recently completed European Union-funded training under the EU-ZIRA3A Programme, covering international inspection standards, sample collection, traceability, pesticide monitoring, and Global G.A.P. compliance. The programme included practical farm and packing station exercises with EU experts to strengthen inspection and quality assurance from production to export, highlighting Egypt's focus on meeting global standards for agricultural trade. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
