Juhayna’s Amr Eltarabolsy is optimistic for the future of Egyptian citrus, as the company expands in both the fresh and juice markets across the world
For over 40 years, Egypt’s Juhayna has been a leader in the dairy and juice industry, delivering premium products to consumers around the world, but it was not until 2008 that the company expanded into agriculture, launching Enmaa for agricultural development and livestock, focusing on cultivating and exporting high quality crops.
“With a legacy of quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, we’ve built a brand that stands for excellence,” says Amr Eltarabolsy agritrade manager at Juhayna. “Our commitment to sustainable practices and high standards have allowed us to grow and thrive, making us a household name in both the dairy and juice sectors.”
The company owns 320ha of citrus orchards at its farms in the Farafra and Bahariya Oasis sites, producing Valencia and Baladi oranges and Eureka lemons.
“Our first year of production went great,” says Eltarabolsy. “Orange production stood at 7,000 tonnes, with 3,000 tonnes exported, and lemon production reached 3,500 tonnes, with the majority, around 3,000 tonnes, exported.
“We already cultivated an additional 480ha of citrus in 2024 at our Farafra farm and are planning another 600ha, including new products, in 2025 at the Bahariya farm. Also, we acquired a new landbank of 2,000ha at the Farafra oasis to be cultivated within the next three years with new varieties of citrus.”
Enmaa will be exporting Valencia oranges to the UK this year, according to Eltarabolsy. “The UK is always one of the most promising markets in the fresh produce sector,” he explains. “The biggest challenge in the UK is ensuring you deliver premium quality. In our case, we consider this a great opportunity, as our farms are already working in accordance with EU standards.”
The company sends to markets in the EU and the Gulf, as well as to Russia, while it is currently looking to open up new markets in the Asia Pacific region. “By combining traditional farming techniques with cutting-edge technology, we ensure that our fresh produce meets the highest quality standards,” says Eltarabolsy.
The state of the business is very positive, he reports. “We are growing exponentially in all our sectors, so we’re very optimistic for the future,” he says. “We use the Dacom software system on our farms to monitor data on weather forecasting, irrigation and water use on our crops. When it comes to climate change, Egypt seems not to be as affected as other regions, which gives us an advantage in the fresh produce sector in the coming years. In addition, the economic challenges we are facing in the country have driven our company to focus on exports to global markets.”
