Egypt harvests Navel oranges from December into March and Valencia from February into June, with mandarins running from late October to February. Spain, Morocco, Turkey and South Africa each cover part of the same calendar. For a buyer planning 2026/2027, the useful question is not which origin is better in the abstract, but which weeks each one actually holds and what the switch between them costs.

When does each origin supply oranges?

The table below sets the main orange windows side by side. Dates shift by one to three weeks each year with weather, so treat them as planning ranges rather than fixed openings.

Where does Egypt overlap with Spain?

Egypt and Spain overlap from January to March on Navel and again from March to May on Valencia. The two origins rarely compete for the same buyer. Spain sits inside the EU customs union with two to five days of road transit to most European receivers, so it holds the short-shelf-life retail and ready-to-eat lines. Egypt competes on landed cost per tonne over sea freight, on larger volumes of counts 56 to 88, and on the ability to load full reefers to a single destination. Buyers who run both usually take Spain for programme retail and Egypt for wholesale, processing and long-haul markets.

Where does Egypt overlap with Morocco and Turkey?

Morocco is the closer comparison on Valencia. Maroc Late runs from March into May and reaches Russia and North America on similar terms to Egypt. Turkey overlaps mainly on early Navel and on mandarin, and it holds a road advantage into Iraq, Georgia and the Black Sea that Egypt cannot match. Egypt’s counter-argument in both cases is volume continuity: the Egyptian Valencia crop carries through June, later than Moroccan or Turkish supply, which is why programme buyers in Russia and the Gulf use Egypt to close the season.

What does South Africa cover that Egypt cannot?

South Africa is not a competitor across most of the Egyptian window. It is the counter-season origin, shipping Valencia from June to September when Northern Hemisphere fruit has finished. A buyer who needs twelve-month orange coverage normally pairs Egypt from December to June with South Africa from June to September, rather than choosing between them.

What decides the choice apart from the calendar?

Four factors move a decision once the windows are known. Freight cost and transit time from Alexandria, Damietta or Port Said against road or sea freight from the competing origin. Preferential duty, which differs by destination and by trade agreement, so it is worth confirming with your customs broker before comparing FOB prices. The size curve, since Egyptian Navel tends to deliver strong volumes in the mid counts while Spanish supply is often stronger in small counts. And packaging, where 15 kg telescopic cartons remain the Egyptian standard while European origins ship more in 10 kg and consumer formats. Our Egyptian produce export calendar 2026/2027 sets out availability month by month across all crops.

What should a buyer fix now for 2026/2027?

Reefer allocation for the December to March peak is committed well before the fruit is picked. Buyers who wait until the first Navel is packed usually pay more and accept later sailings. See booking reefer space for the 2026/2027 Egyptian citrus season for lead times and how allocation is held.

PEI Trade supplies Navel, Valencia and mandarin from Egyptian packhouses under GLOBALG.A.P certification, with SGS or Intertek inspection available on request. To discuss volumes, counts and sailing dates for the 2026/2027 season, message our export desk on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918.