Large-scale fresh produce exporter El Roda has reported a successful year, including strong performances on grapes and stonefruit.

The company, which supplies sweetcorn, salads, grapes and brassicas, among others, said it had upped its shipments of stonefruit to the UK by five per cent this year and was looking to increase capacity in 2010.

Managing director Bahey Eldin El Baroudy said: “For us, stonefruit volumes were up significantly and, although we were working with supermarkets in the UK before, we have increased this as we did a good job in marketing the fruit.

“On grapes, traditional sources to the UK were not available so we were able to attain good prices for fruit of very high quality. It has been a good year; we were alert due to the recession, but it has ended up very successful.

“We are looking to increase our exports in 2010, but we have to be careful that there is limited availability to keep the returns positive.

“I believe that Egyptian growers and exporters have been working well together rather than creating internal competition.”

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