By Mohamed Abdel Monsef and Ahmed Salama Director of Agricultural Affairs for the 6th October Co. for Agricultural Products Ahmed Maraay said that the company has the largest area certified by the EU for pest-free produce He noted any land proved to have brown rot may not export potatoes for three years until it is proved that the area is free of the disease. He expects that the area will produce 120,000 tonnes, representing 30-40% of Egypt's potato exports to the European Union. Potatoes are cultivated in two phases, the first in October and November, and then are harvested in March and exported. The second phase begins in mid-December, and products are harvested in May and used to produce seeds for the next season, according to Maraay. He asserted that the company's exports of capsicum, cayenne pepper and green onions were proven to be completely free of pesticides residues over the past five years, which forms a main reason behind the rejection of export requests
