Egyptian potato suppliers will take action to restore their share in the UK market after exports slumped 10.5 per cent this season, according to an offical source.

The UK market imported around 20,800 tonnes from Egypt this year, down from 23,000t during the 2004-05 season.

But sendings to Europe are up 19 per cent on last season to 298,000t.

A total of 337,263t of fresh potatoes were sent out from Egypt during the 2005-06 season.

The source said Egyptian growers and exporters will focus on the quality of their product and target multiple retailers to recover their share in the UK market.