Egypt has been confirmed as the partner country for next year's Fruit Logistica, the leading event for the international fresh fruit and vegetable business.
The north African country follows Portugal as the the official partner country for the three-day event, which takes place at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds on 3-5 February next year.
As partner country, Egypt will focus on demonstrating its potential and presenting its high-quality products in a bid to win over trade visitors.
'The history of agriculture in Egypt dates back more than 5,000 years – no other country in the world can look back on such a wealth of experience,' said Dr Christian Göke, CEO of event organiser Messe Berlin. 'Today, Egypt plays a significant role in the global fresh produce industry with substantial fruit and vegetable exports to 145 countries.'
Egypt exported US$2bn worth of fresh produce in the 2013/2014 season, primarily to Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UK, while Iraq, the UAE, Libya, Italy, the Netherlands and Kuwait are also important customers.
Export volumes rose from 1.7m tonnes in the 2005/2006 season, to 2.9m tonnes in 2013/2014, a 69 per cent increase.
Last season, Egypt's main exports included citrus (1.14m tonnes), potatoes (688,000 tonnes), onions (359,000 tonnes), grapes (99,000 tonnes), pomegranates (85,000 tonnes), strawberries (34,000 tonnes) and green beans (31,000 tonnes).
