EU cancels extra checks on Egyptian strawberry exports

The European Commission has officially decided to lift the additional checks it used to impose on Egyptian fresh strawberries, according to Agriculture Minister Ezz el Din Abu Steet.

 

Member states of the EU Commission Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed voted to remove the Egyptian strawberries from the list of crops that require extra examination procedures, the minister added. 

 

The decision was endorsed by the European Commission in early July. The EU took the decision after confirming the efficiency of the new quarantine procedures that Egypt has adopted to guarantee that agricultural crops are of a superior quality and that they meet the requirements of the domestic and the export market, Abu Steet noted.

 

The minister said that Egyptian agricultural exports had a good reputation worldwide. He said that his ministry was briefing various countries on Egypt's procedures pertaining to this file, with the aim of openingup new markets for Egyptian agricultural exports.

 

In 2017/2018, Egypt exported about 28,000 tonnes of strawberries worth $63 million. The EU received 11,000 tonnes worth $35 million, out of that total, according to the head of the Egyptian Agricultural Export Council, Abdel Hamid el-Demerdash.