Farm Frites has expanded the French fries factory in Egypt. The production location in the 10th Ramadan city near Cairo now has a production capacity of 150.000 tons, part of which is exported to 22 countries in the Middle East and Africa.
The news is reported by Egyptian media and Melle Leenstra, the Dutch agricultural council in Egypt, on social media. The renovated factory was opened this week by Amir Nasser, the Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry. Piet de Bruijne, CEO of family business Farm Frites, was also present.
The expansion of production capacity in Egypt is a new step in the development of Farm Frites, which has been established in the country since 1989. Since then, the company has invested approximately US$140 million in the Egyptian branch, according to Leenstra. With the expansion, Farm Frites wants to significantly strengthen its export position in the region, aiming for growth in, among other things, exports to Africa. The company also wants to expand its product range.
More trade
Farm Frites organizes the cultivation of potatoes in the Egyptian desert on reportedly about 18.000 acres (approximately 7.284 hectares). According to the Leenstra agricultural council, the expansion can also contribute to more trade between the Netherlands and Egypt. For example, in 2017 the Netherlands exported 41.000 tons of seed potatoes to Egypt, which contributed to the annual production of 4,3 million tons of potatoes that year.
Potato cultivation in Egypt does have its fair share of challenges, Leenstra indicates. For example, the availability of water cannot be taken for granted, climate change increases the risk of drought and heat waves and the salty desert soil poses a challenge in terms of cultivation techniques. According to Leenstra, solutions can be sought in, among other things, breeding varieties that are more tolerant to salt and heat.