Egyptian fruits to return to the markets of Bahrain following termination of import ban

Some Egyptian fruits will soon return to Bahraini markets, a year after the authorities here banned their imports due to health concerns, a senior Egyptian official confirmed recently.

According to Egyptian Agriculture and Land Reclamation Minister Abdulmoneim Al Banna, “The import ban imposed on fresh Egyptian guava has been lifted by the Bahraini authorities.”

The minister told Egyptian press on Sunday, “We have been informed by the

Bahraini authorities today that it has been recommended to lift the ban on the imports of Egyptian fresh Guava. The exportation of the fruit to Bahrain will be resumed by the beginning of the 2018-2019 export season, which begins by next September and ends by August 2019.”

As reported earlier by Tribune, a ban on importing vegetables and fruits from several countries in the region, including Egypt, Yemen and Lebanon, was imposed on April 27, 2017.

Agriculture and Marine Resources Affairs in Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry explained back then that the decision comes as reports proved that agricultural pesticides were excessively used in those countries.

Similar decisions were made by neighbouring GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia, which imposed a ban on several agricultural products from Egypt and other regional countries during the same period and lifted the ban on guava last month.