Egyptian Farmers Syndicate head Hussein Abu Saddam has revealed that retail prices for peaches have climbed to around 300 Egyptian pounds per kilogram or higher due to climate change impacts, shrinking cultivated acreage, and the end of the seasonal harvest cycle.
Why Peaches Cost 300 Egyptian Pounds
Shoppers across Egypt face unusually high costs for fruit, with consumer prices for peaches hitting roughly 300 pounds per kilogram or more depending on the specific location and distribution outlet, according to Egyptian Farmers Syndicate head Hussein Abu Saddam. In an interview with Masrawy, Abu Saddam explained that a sharp mismatch between supply and demand has driven the market upward. With the growing season over, fresh peaches are no longer being harvested from trees.
Right now there are no peaches on the trees, and this time is not the season for growing peaches.
Shrinking Acreage and Climate Pressures
The current supply scarcity stems directly from limited agricultural production. Total land cultivated with peaches nationwide this year failed to exceed approximately 40 thousand acres, leaving markets with severely reduced quantities. Compounding this acreage shortage, the year’s severe weather patterns inflicted widespread damage on agricultural yields.
Rising ambient temperatures alongside the spread of crop diseases degraded fruit output. Because many fruit varieties spoil rapidly, they require specialized preservation methods to remain viable outside their natural calendar window.
Cold Storage and Foreign Imports
Because local orchards no longer yield fresh fruit, current market availability relies entirely on two alternative sources. Retailers are selling inventory preserved in commercial refrigerators or fruit brought in from international markets. This reliance on cold storage facilities and foreign sourcing helps bridge the gap during the off-season, though storage and import overhead contribute to the high prices paid by consumers.
Sustained Consumer Demand Amid Low Supply
Even though the harvest concluded and farm output dropped, public demand for the fruit remained active. This persistence of consumer interest, coupled with the limited volumes retrieved from storage units and import channels, created the intense pricing pressure that brought per-kilogram rates to 300 pounds or higher across various retail points.
