Egyptian strawberry growers are complaining of unfavorable weather conditions this year, resulting in higher production costs, lower volumes, and a switch in the strawberry varieties adopted. Emad Mahdy, owner of Al Fayruz Nurseries and a consultant specializing in strawberry production, comments on this situation.
Emad explains, "Under normal circumstances, the Egyptian climate is very favorable for strawberry production, but due to the climate change that the country is experiencing, big disturbances and sudden temperature changes are impacting this crop. We are starting to see all the seasons of the year in one day."
As a result, it has become necessary to intensify agricultural operations such as fertilization and disease treatment, according to Emad: "We see a spread of diseases such as thrips, tetranychus urticae, powdery mildew, rotten fruits, rotten roots, and nematodes... in the past, these diseases used to occur at separate times of the year and were easy to treat, now they are much more present."
This has led to at least a doubling of the cost of production, Emad adds, which in turn has caused a decline in strawberry volumes in Egypt this year. "The cost of producing a feddan was about 150,000 EGP last year, with a productivity of 20-30 tons per feddan. This year, the cost has increased to 210,000 EGP for a yield of 10-20 tons." (1 USD ≈ 30 EGP, 1 ha = 2.38 Feddans) strawberry shortcake tshirt
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