Potato is one of the few Egyptian crops where the buying decision is made almost a full season in advance. Seed is imported from the Netherlands, Scotland and Germany in the autumn, planted from October onward, and the resulting main crop moves to export from February. Buyers who wait until harvest to open discussions are negotiating for whatever volume is left. This note sets out the specification and the timetable so importers can plan the 2026/2027 season properly.

Varieties and what each is used for

Spunta remains the volume variety for the Mediterranean and Middle East trade. Long oval tubers, shallow eyes, pale yellow flesh, and it holds shape well in the pan, which is why it dominates in Greece, Italy, Lebanon and the Gulf. Diamant is the second workhorse, rounder and firmer, widely accepted in Russia and Eastern Europe. Cara appears where buyers want a larger, thicker skinned tuber with longer storage life. For processing, Hermes and Lady Rosetta are the crisping varieties, contracted directly by manufacturers on dry matter and reducing sugar specifications rather than on visual grade.

Size grades and packing

Table potato is graded on transverse diameter. The common export bands are 35 to 55 mm for small calibre demand, 45 to 75 mm as the general purpose grade, and 55 to 80 mm where buyers want larger tubers for retail or catering. Processing contracts usually run 40 to 80 mm with a dry matter minimum agreed in the contract.

Packing is straightforward. Mesh or jute bags of 25 kg are the standard for wholesale and remain the most common format into the Gulf and Russia. Retail programmes take 5 kg or 10 kg consumer bags, often printed to the buyer’s own design. Big bags of 1,000 to 1,250 kg are used where the receiver has bulk handling at the other end. A 40 foot reefer takes approximately 25 to 27 tonnes depending on format, which works out near 1,000 bags of 25 kg on 20 pallets.

Pest free areas and the EU requirement

Potato shipments from Egypt to the European Union are controlled under the brown rot pest free area system. Only fields registered inside designated pest free areas are eligible, and every lot must be covered by a phytosanitary certificate referencing that area, supported by soil and tuber testing. This is not a formality. Buyers should ask for the pest free area code before contracting, and should confirm that the packing site is registered to handle EU destined lots. Shipments to Russia, the Gulf and African markets follow the destination country’s own quarantine terms, which are generally lighter but still require a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Egyptian plant quarantine authority.

Temperature and transit

Table potato ships at 5 to 8 degrees Celsius with active ventilation. Running colder is a common and expensive mistake, because below roughly 4 degrees the tuber converts starch to sugar and the fruit darkens on frying, which will be rejected by any processing or catering receiver. Loading is from Alexandria, Damietta and Port Said. Transit runs around four to seven days to Mediterranean EU ports, ten to fourteen days to Northern Europe, and seven to twelve days to the Gulf via Suez. Our note on reefer loading and set points by crop covers the stowage detail.

The contracting calendar

Indications for the 2026/2027 main crop typically firm up between November and January, with first loadings from late February and the bulk of the programme running March through June. The autumn nili crop gives a smaller September to November window that suits buyers looking to bridge into the European storage season. Volume buyers should be in conversation by December at the latest. Buyers combining potato with other lines can look at our onion supply programme, which runs on a complementary calendar.

PEI Trade contracts potato programmes against written specification covering variety, size band, packing, tolerance and inspection terms. To request an indication for the 2026/2027 season, message our export team on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918.