Taro, known in Egypt as qolqas, is one of the quieter lines in the Egyptian vegetable programme, yet demand from Gulf, Levant and European ethnic-market buyers holds steady every winter. The 2026/2027 harvest opens in October, and allocation discussions for first loadings are starting now. Here is what importers should specify when booking Egyptian colocasia.

What Egypt supplies

Egyptian taro grows mainly in the Delta governorates, where heavy soils and canal irrigation suit the crop. Corms are graded by weight into small, medium and large bands. Most retail buyers specify medium corms, while larger corms go to food service and processing customers who peel and cut. Class 1 lots exclude corms with soft spots, sprouting, cuts or mechanical damage, and every corm is washed, dried and inspected before packing. Lots can be trimmed and brushed to the level the destination market expects.

Packing and loading

Standard packing is a 10 kg or 13 kg telescopic carton, with mesh bags available for wholesale receivers who repack. Cartons travel on standard or euro pallets, strapped and corner-boarded, and heat treated pallet wood is documented in line with ISPM 15. Our guide to palletisation and ISPM 15 on Egyptian produce covers the stacking patterns in detail. Carriage is at 7 to 10 degrees C with 85 to 90 percent relative humidity and fresh air exchange, since taro is sensitive to both chilling and condensation. A 40 ft reefer takes roughly 24 tonnes net depending on carton format.

Season window and destinations

Fresh harvest runs from October into late winter, and storage lots extend shipments through spring. The main destinations are the GCC, Jordan and Lebanon, plus ethnic wholesale markets in the UK and mainland Europe. Loadings go from Alexandria, Damietta and Sokhna, quoted FOB or CFR under Incoterms 2020. Supplying farms are GLOBALG.A.P certified, and SGS or Intertek pre-shipment inspection can be arranged on request. To see where taro sits alongside the winter vegetable and citrus programme, check the Egyptian produce export calendar 2026/2027.

Book early

First loadings of the season are usually committed before the harvest opens. Send your corm size band, carton format, destination port and monthly volume and we will return a firm offer. Reach the PEI Trade export team on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918.