Egyptian soft-fruit specialist Pico is branching into citrus this winter, with its first supplies to come on stream in mid-November.

The season will kick off with Navel oranges, followed by Valencia in February, which will be available until mid-April.

Marketing manager Heike Hagenguth told freshinfo: “The decision came because we are dealing with clients who also import oranges and who are happy with the good relationship they have with us. It makes sense to complete our portfolio.”

Pico aims to produce 10,000 tonnes of fruit in this first season. Supplies will be destined for the UK and Europe, although the firm is also targeting Russia, Ukraine and Asia.

The company has also recently exported onions to South Africa and will ship pomegranates to the Netherlands.

Preparations are underway for Pico’s strawberry season, which is also due to kick off in mid-November, and quantities agreed for the UK market are 25 per cent higher than last season. “The last three seasons have been very successful [in the UK],” said Hagenguth. “We were affected by the drop of the Egyptian pound against sterling last season, but we increased volumes to the UK and Europe so we could cover any exchange rate issues.”

Pico is also trialling new citrus varieties and strawberry cultivars.

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