The Russian market accounted for 45% of the total exports of the Wadi Agricultural Development and Land Reclamation Company – Daltex, in the last season, while European markets have 35%, Asia 16% and Arab countries 7%. “We are dealing with a wide range of markets, and we are looking to enter new markets, especially in East Asia,” said Hisham El Naggar, managing director of Daltex. Daltex has achieved growth of 7.7% in the last season, totalling 194,000 tonnes, compared to 180,000 tonnes in the previous season. El Naggar said that Russia always has the largest share of the company's exports, especially, in recent years, but the company also seeks to intensify its presence in other markets. Daltex now plans to increase its exports to the new markets, such as India and China, being promising markets that can absorb more Egyptian agricultural crops in the coming period. Moreover, he pointed out that the company has been in East Asian markets for a long time, but it has begun an expansion plan six years ago, including citrus, potatoes, and grapes. El Naggar said that the company's exports to East Asia reached 7,0000 tonnes in the last season, compared to only 100 tonnes six years ago. The company's major markets in this region are Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China. Notably, some products can compensate losses of major crops, such as potato, including pepper, green onions and strawberries, and their demand is gradually rising abroad, he noted. El Naggar added that Egypt has a distinct position on the global agricultural exports map, after entering large markets, such as China, India, and Bangladesh, outside the European Union, which has been Egypt's main exporting market for decades. Al-Naggar explained that citrus and grapes exports will receive the greatest attention in East Asian countries, especially, China. Meanwhile, American and Spanish grapes compete Egyptian products in East Asia, and wining a larger share in these markets is not easy, he elaborated, adding that on the other hand China is followed by Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, in terms of importance to Egypt, and all of which have promising opportunities for Egyptian products. El Naggar pointed out that the company exports about 5,000 tonnes to China, although it is not a big volume, but it can be considered as a good start for the company. He added that the company targets to increase its exports to China to 10,000 tonnes this season. In regard to African markets, there is a good opportunity for the company to increase its exports to the African markets, this needs careful arrangements that may take some time, he mentioned. Notably, he explained that transport and risk insurance problems are the main obstacles facing Egyptian exports in Africa. Holding permanent exhibitions in African countries can be a good idea for building materials, but not very much for agricultural products, due to their rapid potential damage. Daltex is now looking forward to enter the West Africa region, and as well as Benin and Zimbabwe, which seem promising for the Egyptian products.
