The top 3 exporters of Tomato are China with 15 shipments followed by Egypt with 7 and Switzerland at the 3rd spot with 2 shipments.
Monitoring Desk
Cairo
Egypt has become world’s 2nd producer and exporter of sun-dried tomatoes, says a report released by Volza, a London-based organization compiling the trade data from around the world.
As per Volza’s Egypt Export data of December 16, 2023, the tomato export shipments from Egypt stood at 7, exported by 2 Egypt Exporters to 5 Buyers.
Egypt exports most of its Tomato to Brazil and is the 2nd largest exporter of tomato in the World.
The top 3 exporters of Tomato are China with 15 shipments followed by Egypt with 7 and Switzerland at the 3rd spot with 2 shipments.
An earlier report of Volza, dated December 1, 2023, said that dried tomato export data of world was 125,048 export shipments. World exports most of its dried tomato to United States, Netherlands and Germany.
There are some 17,000 feddans (Units of area) in Luxor governorate that are planted with tomatoes to be later dried and exported, according to the Egypt’s agriculture ministry.
Central Administration for Plant Quarantine statement also attested that Egypt is currently the second largest producer of sun-dried tomatoes worldwide.
The tomatoes grown at the farms are placed at nearby field of the ancient city of Luxor where they are dried under the sun. The tomatoes lie for a week or two before they are sufficiently dry enough to be packed and exported to foreign markets, where demand is growing for the sun-dried variety, according to Egyptian officials.
“Drying the crops and selling them for export is very lucrative for farmers. We don’t need to worry about selling the produce in the local market,” a farmer said.
The method is a ray of light for the farmers, as it means they no longer have to worry about tomatoes going bad if they are not immediately sold, and also because the end product itself is more lucrative for the farmers.
Known for its ancient antiquities and sprawling temples, Luxor is becoming Egypt’s main hub for sun-drying tomatoes. The city, some 650km from Cairo, produces a third of Egypt’s tomato crop of eight million tons. Purchasers place their orders before the fruit has even ripened and rates are competitive enough for farmers to cover their labor and other production expenses. Earnings can amount to four times what a farmer can earn producing fresh tomatoes only. That is why many others in Luxor are entering the tomato sun-drying business.
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Almost 70 percent of the farmers of the city are involved in the sun-drying business now. The trend has not escaped the attention of foreign companies looking to tap into the potential of the Egyptian sun-dried tomato industry. Luxor is already hosting German and Italian companies looking to produce and export.
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