World Citrus Growers' Assembly in Cairo

CLAM (Liaison Committee of Mediterranean Citrus) General Assembly 2008 took place in Cairo (Egypt) on October 20-21, gathering representatives of the major producer and exporter Countries’ growers and trade associations.

Four sessions addressing problems about productivity, cultivation on desert soils and the Southern Mediterranean Countries’ access to the market were held during the conference.

Egypt was chosen as the Assembly’s hosting Country in order to attest its progress in the agricultural sector, especially in citrus fruits’ cultivation.

According to the data presented during the conference, Egypt figures as the third citrus producer in the Basin in terms of quantity - after Spain and Italy and ahead of Turkey and Morocco - and it appears to be the world’s third exporter of citrus fruits, following Spain and Turkey.

It has been estimated that Egyptian produce tripled in less than 10 years. Italy is the leading importer of Egyptian agricultural produce, for a value around 70 million euros during 2007.