The Egyptian sweet potato season continues amid accusations of overproduction. These accusations are also coming from local producers already established in the market, who claim that newcomers are joining the industry by mimicry, crashing prices, and making the sector worse for everyone. However, according to Mostafa Ali, from Premium Sourcing, “There is no overproduction this year.”

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The exporter says, “We are currently in the middle of the season. Demand is not high in the European market, and business is slow. However, we expect exports to pick up by October and reach their peak in January.”

“I don’t think there is a sweet potato overproduction in Egypt this season; quite the contrary. However, many observers have the impression that there is an oversupply because, at the beginning of the season, a lot of exporters shipped large volumes without planning, which flooded certain markets, such as Spain, with Egyptian sweet potatoes,” Ali continues.

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The exporter believes that the oversupply only affects a few markets and only at certain times of the season. He adds: “We see that the market is healthy in the Netherlands and France, but this is also because demand remains strong in both countries. On the other hand, what is a little strange is that class 2 sweet potatoes are in greater demand than class 1, which is a peculiarity of this season.”

Ali assures that the prices of Egyptian sweet potatoes are higher than last season: “The increase is slim and reflects an increase in production costs, but these prices refute the hypothesis of an Egyptian supply surplus this season. “

“Egyptian sweet potatoes remain and will remain attractive to most European markets. Nevertheless, the sector in Egypt needs organization and planning to avoid flooding certain regions with product in a short period of time,” Ali concludes.

For more information:
Mostafa Ali
Premium Sourcing
Tel: +201007350313
Email: [email protected]
www.premiumsourcingco.com