Egyptian Baladi Orange Export: Supply, Counts and Packing

Baladi is Egypt’s traditional local orange — the type grown and eaten in Egypt long before Navel and Valencia were planted for export. It is rounder and thinner-skinned than Navel, it carries seeds, and it gives a high juice yield, which is why most of it moves into juicing, foodservice and value retail rather than top-end fresh display.

This page covers what PEI Trade supplies: the window, the count scale, the packing and the markets it ships to. For the full technical picture on Egyptian oranges see the complete Egyptian citrus export guide and the Egyptian orange specifications; for the two dedicated export varieties see the Navel guide and the Valencia guide.

How Baladi Differs from Navel and Valencia

Baladi is not a grade of Navel or Valencia; it is a separate type, and buyers who specify it are usually buying for juice yield rather than for shelf appearance. The single most important difference for a retail buyer is that Baladi carries seeds.

	Baladi	Navel	Valencia
Seeds	Seeded	Seedless	3–6
Peel	Thin	Thick, 4–6 mm	Thinner, 2–4 mm
Brix at peak		12–13°	13–14°
Mainly bought for	Juicing, foodservice, value retail	Fresh retail appearance	Juice and summer fresh supply
PEI Trade supply window	November–March	December–April	March–August
Full specification	This page	Navel guide	Valencia guide

Navel and Valencia figures are as published in our own variety guides. The Brix cell for Baladi is left blank because a published range is not established in our records; it is measured by sampling and reported per lot rather than estimated here.

Supply Window

PEI Trade supplies Baladi oranges from November through March, which puts the opening weeks ahead of the main Navel volume and closes before Valencia builds. Volume is not flat across the window: it is confirmed per shipping week rather than committed for the whole season.

For how this sits against every other Egyptian citrus variety month by month, see the Egyptian citrus seasonality calendar.

Counts and Grading

Baladi is packed on the same count scale as our other oranges: the count is the number of fruits in a 15 kg export carton, so a lower count means larger fruit.

Count	Fruits per 15 kg carton	Approx. weight per fruit
48	48	300–330 g
56	56	255–285 g
64	64	220–250 g
72	72	195–220 g
88	88	160–180 g
100	100	140–160 g
113	113	125–140 g

The standard Egyptian export count scale on a 15 kg carton. Weights are the ranges published in our Navel guide, since the carton is the same. Which counts a given Baladi lot yields is confirmed per shipping week.

Grading follows the same marketing standard as the rest of our citrus. Class I is the grade most contracts are written against, and Extra Class sits above it as a separate, stricter tier rather than another name for it — the tolerances are set out in our Extra, Class I and Class II reference.

Packing Formats

15 kg telescopic carton — the export standard, and what a quotation assumes unless you say otherwise.
Bulk bins — for juice and processing buyers who do not need carton presentation.
Retail-ready packs and mesh bags — for supermarket programmes, with a minimum per format.
Private label — custom carton printing carries a minimum per design, because the board is printed in a run, and it needs lead time before the first shipment.

Carton dimensions, pallet configuration and container loading are set out in full in our citrus export packaging standards, and the cold chain in the cold chain guide.

Markets We Ship To

European Union and the UK
GCC, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman
Russia and Eastern Europe
South and South-East Asia, including India and Bangladesh

What changes from one destination to the next — size preference, grade, certification and documentation — is set out in our export markets index.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Baladi orange?

Baladi is Egypt’s traditional local orange, grown in Egypt long before Navel and Valencia were planted for export. It is rounder and thinner-skinned than Navel, it carries seeds, and it gives a high juice yield, which is why most of it moves into juicing, foodservice and value retail.

When can I order Baladi oranges?

PEI Trade supplies Baladi from November through March. Volume is not flat across that window, so it is confirmed per shipping week rather than committed for the whole season.

How do Baladi oranges differ from Navel?

Navel is seedless, with a thick 4 to 6 mm peel, and is bought for fresh retail appearance. Baladi is seeded, with a thinner peel and a higher juice yield. If your buyer needs seedless fruit for shelf display, Navel is the variety to specify, not Baladi.

What carton and counts do you pack?

The standard 15 kg export carton, on the same count scale as our other oranges, from count 48 down to 113. Which counts a given lot yields is confirmed per shipping week. Custom carton formats carry a minimum per design and need lead time before the first shipment.

What is the minimum order for Baladi oranges?

One 40 ft high-cube reefer: 21 pallets, 1,664 cartons of 15 kg, 24,960 kg net and 26,624 kg gross with the cartons. Mixed containers combining Baladi with other citrus are possible; contact the export desk to discuss options.

Request a Quote for Baladi Oranges

Tell us the destination port, the count range, the volume and the shipping week, and we will come back with a quotation and say plainly what is achievable for that week.

Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +20 109 911 1918
Office: +20 109 911 1918

Contact the export desk

Comparing suppliers before you commit? Our ranked guide to orange export companies in Egypt sets out the five criteria worth qualifying any Egyptian exporter on.