São Paulo – The Brazilian consumer can now find more options of oranges at the market. Last May Brazil opened its market to citrus from Egypt, and the first orange exports to Brazil have taken place. The product has a tariff reduction to enter Mercosur countries due to the Mercosur-Egypt agreement. The rate will be null as of next September.
According to Egypt’s new commercial consul to Brazil, Nashwa Bakr, two Egyptian companies have exported oranges to Brazil since the market opened. “One sent nine containers, and the other 15 containers, and the latter plans to ship other 25 containers by the end of May,” said Bakr, who took office a little over a week ago at the Egyptian Commercial Office in São Paulo. “We’re preparing a campaign with Brazilian importers and contacting supermarkets such as Pão de Açúcar and Dia,” Bakr told ANBA.
Egypt produced 3 million tonnes of orange last year and exported half of its total output, establishing itself as the world’s largest orange exporter. Bakr said. “The top destinations of Egyptian oranges were China, the European Union, and the Arab countries,” she said. Most crops are kept at the Northern coast of Egypt, near the Nile River and the Mediterranean Sea, also known as the Nile Delta.
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According to the consul, oranges from Egypt are quite different from Brazil’s. “Our oranges are not like yours, which are more used for juice. We have two kinds, Valencia and Navel, which are used more for eating than juicing. The flavor is different, and Brazil does not produce these kinds of orange, so the products are different and complementary,” said Bakr.
The biggest competition for the Egyptian orange in Brazil are the United States, China, Chile, and Argentina. “But we were the top orange exporter last year, so we expect Brazil to become the top importer of orange from Egypt in two or three years,” she said, adding the exports have been good across the Mercosur countries, as the free trade agreement includes the four countries in the bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay).
According to a press release from the Egyptian Embassy in Brasília, Egypt’s Ministry of Trade and Industry is working together with the Brazilian Embassy in Cairo to spread the Egyptian orange and the relief from customs duty provided for in the free trade agreement with Mercosur. The news release adds citrus from Egypt are arriving at the Brazilian market and the export products comply to international quality standards and follow traceability systems from farm to fork. “As it’s one tool for the success of Egypt’s export policy,” the statement goes on.
The note says that the Egyptian orange has been well accepted in Brazil. “Brazilian importers like the Egyptian oranges, which are known for their high quality and competitive prices. The Brazilian market comprises 209 million consumers and is South America’s largest,” says the note.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
