Egypt - The Berry Opportunity

With such a large area of production, you would expect to see significant investments in Research and Development, and we did. There is a great emphasis on new strawberry varieties, as well as updated plant types. The Egyptian strawberry sector is dominated by short day types, a market that we are looking forward to entering as the new selections come through from the UC Davis strawberry breeding team. The mixture of new strawberry genotypes, environment and plant types will certainly be an exciting challenge for the team at Global Plant Genetics. But we know what we are doing.

The future for berries in Egypt though is not all about strawberries. We will in the fullness of time see Egyptian blueberries, Egyptian raspberries and indeed Egyptian blackberries taking a more important position in the global supply chain. The knowledge, experience, varieties and determination are there to make these exciting berry products work in the somewhat harsh desert environment. 

Let’s face it, 4500 years ago, the Egyptians built pyramids in the desert near Cairo 146.5 meters tall and 230.4 meters square employing 100,000 men plus architects, logistic experts and construction engineers. These pyramids have lasted over a million sunrises and had Julius Caesar, Alexandra the Great and Napoleon plus countless others chasing global domination pass their feet. It is therefore highly conceivable that a such a nation of achievers can produce Egyptian blueberries, Egyptian raspberries and Egyptian blackberries for the world’s leading supermarkets and berry processors. 

Of course, Egyptian strawberries will remain their number one berry product, although I suspect continued innovation in the strawberry sector will drive positive change in that area too. 

We may not build pyramids, but we are sure looking forward to being part of these exciting developments in the Egyptian berry industry.