It is believed that the Saudi Arabian market is currently abundant with citrus fruits from various sources. In the words of Kashif Shahzad who is the director of purchasing for Global Star, trends in regards to the origins of the fruit, their quantities and prices are common during this season.

Shahzad states, “The market is normal currently, and is following its past trends. Egyptian navels were first introduced in December at a price that was high, that dropped after one week, which is the normal market pattern in the market for Egyptian navels. Valencia rates are relatively constant due to availability from South Africa while Egypt has an insignificant amount of Valencia in this phase in the year. When it comes to soft citrus, prices are very excellent for Morroco as well as Spain However, the market will be a bit volatile for these countries until the huge Egyptian quantities arrive.”

The remainder of the season can be predicted in terms of Saudi imports. Kashif states: “From discussions with Egyptian cultivators, the harvest of oranges is very good. We will keep importing navel oranges through March, with adequate high-quality as well as Valencia up to the end of August. In the near future, the market will be brimming with Egyptian soft citrus too.”

There is a problem with the Middle East market is not steady for Egyptian exporters due to payments conditions. Kashif says, “This is the reality of our market, thanks to commissions and rules. There is a lot of competition among Egyptian exporters makes markets are sometimes not able to be controlled regarding prices and volumes.”

Kashif continues “At Global Star, we will import an overall volume in the range of 7.5 up to eight million boxes of fruit in 2025. This includes 12-15% of the boxes from Egypt. For citrus, we will be importing 2.5 million boxes with 35-40% imported from Egypt. We’re optimistic this will happen by utilizing the best supplier and the right mix of products. We are also hoping that conditions for supply will be perfect. In the past, we did not reach the maximum potential of our forecast for imports because due to the turbulence in the Red Sea.”

More information is available here:

Kashif Shahzad

Global Star

Tel: +966 54 788 8332

Email: [email protected]