Cairo – After years of negotiations, Chinese agricultural authorities agreed to import pomegranate from Egypt into their market for the first time. Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Recovery, Muhammad Marzouq Al-Qusayr, announced the opening of the Chinese market to Egyptian pomegranates, according to a report received by the head of Egypt’s Central Administration of Plant Quarantine (CAPQ), Ahmed Al-Attar.
Al-Qusayr stated China is one of the most important markets globally, and there is genuine interest in studying it due to its high population density and the increase in the average import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Egypt. The minister added the pomegranate is one of the most critical fresh agricultural products exported by Egypt, with over 100,000 tonnes of the fruit shipped abroad annually.
China’s approval came after a long period of technical negotiations and exchange of information on procedures, which included a technical visit by Chinese experts to learn about Egypt’s control system and practices for pomegranate exports. Al-Attar declared a memorandum of understanding was drafted, regulating the entire process, in preparation for the signing, between both parties, of the agreement to initiate exports.
Egyptian exports as a whole exceeded five million tonnes this year until October, with an increase of 600,000 tonnes over the same period last year.
Translated by Georgette Merkhan & Elúsio Brasileiro
